It Must Be the Sunshine
by Dear Rosie
Summary: Ash, Dawn and Brock came to Sunnyshore City looking for Ash's last Gym Bagde. Let's just say that's not all they found. Poke/Ikari/Teencareshipping.
1. Losing It

~It Must Be the Sunshine~

Dawn listened the pitter-patter her shoes made on the pavement. She, Ash, and Brock were back in Sunnyshore City to get Ash's last gym badge. The sun shone down with such intensity that Dawn had to hold her hand that wasn't holding Piplup up to shield her eyes.

The threesome walked into the Pokémon Center to heal up their Pokémon. Predictably, Brock ran to Nurse Joy and began to flirt.

"Oh Nurse joy, your beauty is beyond comparison! Won't you let stay here and be with you forev-" Croagunk, faithful to a T, Poison Jabbed Brock and dragged him away as Dawn and Ash looked on.

"Old habits die hard!" Dawn shrugged. Ash sighed heavily.

"You have no idea how old that habit is!"

After registering for a room in the Pokémon Center, Ash went off to train, while Brock and Dawn decided to get some shopping done.

Brock picked up a yellow box off the shelf.

"I'd better check the ingredients on this. I don't want anything in my cooking that won't be good for our Pokémon." Dawn yawned. They had been in the breeder's supply store for at least thirty minutes! What was worse was that Brock hadn't bought a thing. He just browsed the shelves, and anytime something that looked good appeared, he'd scan the box until he found fault with it and put it back on the shelf. Dawn wanted to go get a new Poketch application, or maybe a new dress. But then again, what would be the point of buying a dress? The Grand Festival was already over, and her dream of being Top Coordinator was put on hold until at least the next year.

As Dawn pushed the cart into yet another aisle, she ran it into Brock. He had stopped, staring down the aisle as if he had just seen a ghost.

Dawn peered to the side to see what Brock was looking so intensely at. A red-headed girl in a pink jacket, short jeans shorts, and a yellow crop top with suspenders was looking over a can of what was probably Pokémon food. Dawn wondered if Brock had fallen in love again, but he didn't run to the girl and begin flirting like he usually would have. He just stared.

"Misty?"

"Brock?" The girl put the can back on the shelf and ran over to where he and Dawn were standing. "Wow, Brock! I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Same here! How's the gym?"

"Really great! My sisters still don't do much, but they were kind enough to cover the gym for awhile."

"That's great! So what are you doing in Sinnoh?" Brock asked.

"I'm here in Sunnyshore to catch a special ocean Pokémon! I want to mix up the lineup at my gym a bit, so I thought I'd come out here to find a Pokémon I'd never seen before! But I sure didn't think I would run into you!"

The two talked about battling, training, and gym badges for a few more minutes before Dawn was noticed, as she hadn't said a thing.

"Brock, who's this?" The girl motioned to Dawn.

"Oh! This is Dawn!" Brock stepped to the side to reveal Dawn, who was still standing behind him with the cart. "Dawn, Misty. Misty, Dawn."

"Nice to meet you!" chirped Misty. She stuck out her hand.

"Nice to meet you too!" Dawn returned with a handshake and a smile. "So _you're_ the girl Ash talks about!" For that comment, Dawn got an elbow to the side from Brock and giggles from Misty.

"Oh, so Ash _does _talk about me after all!"

Misty, Dawn, and Brock headed back to the Pokémon Center.

"Wow, Dawn! You're a Coordinator?"

"Yeah! But I recently lost to my rival Zoey at the Grand Festival finals…" It hurt a little bit to talk of her most recent loss.

"Well, uh, you'll get 'em next time, right?" Misty pumped a fist, doing her best to encourage.

"You're right! There's always next time!" Dawn agreed, now feeling a little better.

"So Brock?"

"Hm?"

"Where's Ash?" Misty asked, a big grin on her face.

"What Misty? Are you eager to see him?" said Dawn. Misty's face flushed red.

"It's been a long time! Of course I want to see him!" she barked defensively.

"She's just teasing, Misty." Brock shot Dawn the kind of look you get from your parents when you've just embarrassed them in public. Dawn simply shrugged it off.

She continued stay quiet, letting the stirring breeze play with her hair. Misty and Brock talked some more, mainly about their ambitions and Pokémon training.

Before long, they spotted Ash training with Torterra and Buizel. The wind blew leaves off the trees and they whipped around him; this was the calmer, more natural area of the ultra-modern city.

"Hey, Ash! We have a surprise for you!" Dawn waved perkily.

"Dawn, what s it? I'm kinda busy and-" He stopped. Dawn smiled. "M-Misty?" Misty stepped forward.

"Hey, Ash." she said with a sheepish smile.

"Misty!" He took off full speed and wrapped his friend in a warm embrace. Misty was blushing heavily, but she put her hands around the excited Pokémon Trainer. The grounds around them grew quiet, as if they were being silent all for this one moment.

Dawn could hardly contain how happy she was with Ash's reaction-for weeks now she had been concerned that Ash was so into training that he would never have anyone special. But it looked like he already did.

Ash, now realizing what he had done, let go and said,

"It's good to see you Misty." with a bright blush and a smile on his face.

"So, Ash, what have you been up to lately?" The foursome now sat around a table at Pokémon Center and were doing one of Ash's favorite things-eating.

"I'm going for my eighth Sinnoh League Gym Badge!" he replied. "I lost last time I was here, so I'm back for a rematch."

"Hmm… Then the Gym Leader must be pretty tough." Misty put her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. She was sitting next to Dawn and across from Ash. Her eyes darted around the table before she let out a happy sigh. It was just like old times again. Honestly, Misty didn't mind Dawn. She seemed like a sweet friendly person, and any friend of Ash and Brock way a friend of hers. Dawn hadn't done anything to make Misty despise her in any way, so the air at the table was tension-free.

"Hey, Misty, guess what?" The red-head snapped out of her trance. "Look at this!" Ash dug into one of his pockets and pulled out something small. Misty didn't recognize it until she got a closer look, but when she did, her face lit up.

It was the lure she had Professor Oak give to Ash when he was suffering from a loss at the Battle Frontier. He had kept it all this time.

"Oh, Ash, I can't believe you kept that!"

"Hey, that's the lure you wouldn't let me use when we were fishing way back when!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Huh?" Misty asked.

"When Ash and Dawn were fishing by a river, Dawn asked to use the lure. Ash refused though," Brock informed.

"Ash? Why did you do that?" Misty half-whined.

"Uh, well, it's just special to me. I didn't want her using it. Just me."

"Doesn't make much sense, if you ask me!" said Dawn, crossing her arms and making a face.

"You know what, Dawn you can just keep your comments to yourself!" Ash stood up and yelled angrily. He sat back down and began stuffing more food into his mouth. Misty sweatdropped.

"I think I'll just step outside." She stood up and began to leave.

"Misty, no!" Ash protested.

"Don't worry, Ash. I just need some fresh air is all." She walked out of the Pokémon Center into the crisp night air. Ash banged a fist on the table.

Misty walked down the streets next to the automated walkways thinking. About Ash. He was acting-different. Had he missed her? That seemed more of a dream than a reality.

Back in Johto, after the Silver Conference, Brock, Ash and herself had split ways. Ash had said the he and Misty were destined to become friends, but he didn't seem really _sad _that she had to go back to the Cerulean Gym. So now did he miss her?

"Ash, what's up with you?" asked Brock. The other three were still eating at the table, but the atmosphere had grown uncomfortably quiet.

"I don't know. I really don't." Ash stood up from the table. "I'm gonna go apologize to her."

"Sounds like a plan," Brock smiled in approval. Ash ran out the door and started looking around for Misty. He asked people on the street if they had seen a red-head in a pink jacket. He mostly got no's, but sometimes they would point him in the direction she had gone.

Though it was dark, Ash was able to make out a figure standing on a boardwalk overlooking the beach. He walked closer. It was most certainly Misty.

In Ash's mind, there had never been a time when he thought that Misty looked more beautiful. The wind whipped her hair and her face looked so perfect. Like an angel, he thought.

Ash walked up onto the boardwalk quietly, making his steps so that they wouldn't be audible. Misty just stared out over the ocean. There was a peace about it that made everything feel so simple.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" she whispered. Ash immediately tensed up; she had heard him.

"Uh, yeah. I guess so." Ash moved next to Misty and put his hands on the railing.

"There's just something about the ocean that can make a person feel so peaceful." Ash nodded.

"Misty, I want to say that I'm sorry for what happened earlier. I didn't want you to leave it's just-"

"If there's anyone you should be apologizing to, I think it's Dawn." Ash felt disappointment surge through him. "But, I accept your apology. It was really thoughtful of you." Ash smiled brightly.

"Glad to hear it Misty. You're a real great friend."

"What do you say we go back to the Pokémon Center and meet up with Dawn and Brock?"

"Yeah. We should get back."

Ash and Misty walked down the streets, making conversation about recent battle and training styles. It was nice to just talk.

When Ash and Misty walked back into the Pokémon Center, Dawn rushed to them.

"You guys! Look at this!" She held out a brightly colored flyer.

"The Sunnyshore Festival?" Ash asked.

"Yep! It's a big event held every year here! They're battle tournaments and games and shops! And plenty of food!" Dawn nudged Ash with her shoulder. "Kinda like the Twinleaf Festival, but here. Luckily, we're in town. It's only held once a year." Ash turned to his red-headed friend.

"Do you want to go, Misty?"

"Sounds fine to me! I was going to look for a new water Pokémon but this sounds fun!"

"Good. Then tomorrow, we go to the Sunnyshore Festival!" Brock said.


	2. Crisis in the Making

~It Must Be the Sunshine, Chapter Two~

Ash tossed and turned in his sleep. His dreams were littered with images of a certain Gym Leader who had always seemed to capture his attention.

He finally shot up, startled out of his mind. However, he wasn't the only one awake. Dawn was gazing out the window, sitting on the sill. Ash sat up and stretched.

"Dawn, what are you doing up?"

"Look out there!" Dawn pointed down toward the other side of the city.

"What is it?" Ash hopped out of bed and joined her at the window.

"They're setting up for the festival! See all the lights?" Dawn let out a happy sigh and continued to stare out the window at the flickering lights across town. They stayed silent like this for a few more minutes. The breeze stirred in a calming way, and they let the scenery entertain them.

After a while, Dawn broke the silence.

"Ash?"

"Hm?"

"Do you… like Misty?"

Ash blushed bright red and found himself speechless. "Uh…"

"Oh, you do! How awesome!" she exclaimed.

"Dawn, keep it down! You're gonna wake them up!" he said with a jerk of the head directed to Misty and Brock. "I honestly don't know how I feel about Misty-"

"But she's special to you, right?" Dawn asked, eyes sparkling.

"Well, yeah."

"And a different kind of special than I am to you, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I don't really know what to do about it, though," Ash sighed.

Dawn laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder and gave him a cheery smile. "No need to worry! Everything will be fine!" She then winked at him and said, "I actually think you guys make a cute couple!" before jumping back into bed. Ash was left mouth agape by the window.

Ash handed Pikachu and two other Poké balls to Nurse Joy. Dawn gave all hers save Togekiss, and Brock turned in all of his Pokémon except Sudowoodo, but not without striking out with Nurse Joy yet again. Croagunk dragged him away, and as soon as he was able to recuperate, he turned in his Pokémon for some well-deserved rest. Nurse Joy, though, had to be the bearer of bad news.

"We have a bit of a waiting list due to the Festival. Your Pokémon shouldn't be done until five o'clock."

"Should we wait until later to go?" Misty asked.

Ash shook his head. "Let's just go. I still have a few Pokémon for any battling that might happen. It'll give these guys a workout!"

"That's a great idea, Ash!" Dawn smiled.

Brock stepped away from the counter. "So let's get a move on! The place will probably be pretty packed."

And Brock was right. At every stall there were vendors and people lined up to buy things. Battles were going on, people were eating, and everyone looked like they were having a good time. Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock were a bit overwhelmed.

"Wow, this place really is packed! Brock was sure right," Misty whispered.

"No kidding," replied Ash, his voice hushed too.

"I know one thing! There are tons of beautiful girls!" Brock tore off into the crowd, stopping and staring at every female who looked remotely interesting.

"Oh, no! Brock left Croagunk at the Pokémon Center!" Dawn gripped her hat nervously. "This could get bad!"

"Don't panic! I know what to do!" Misty began to run in the direction Brock had gone. "Come on!"

Ash and Dawn struggled to keep up, dodging people and ducking often. When they finally found Misty, she was pulling Brock away by his ear.

Dawn sweatdropped. "What was _that_?"

Ash filled his friend in. "_That _is what happened before Croagunk."

Ash let out a heavy sigh. The four friends were still trying to enjoy the festival, but every time Brock would fall in love (about every two minutes), Misty would jump up and drag him away.

"Misty, you know we're not going to have time to enjoy ourselves if you keep having to keep tabs on Brock," Ash reasoned.

"He's right! Even though he doesn't have Croagunk…" Dawn's voice trailed off.

"Don't you think that Brock should have one day where he's free to fall in love?" Ash asked jokingly.

Misty sighed.

"Alright, he can have this one day. But I'm not sticking around here to watch him flirt! You guys with me?" Misty turned to leave.

"All the way!" Ash and Dawn called out as they chased after her.


	3. Impossible

~It Must Be the Sunshine, Chapter Three~

Misty listened intently as Dawn and Ash told her about their Sinnoh adventures: each one of Ash's Gym battles, Dawn's contests, and other events.

"So now we're back in Sunnyshore," Ash finished. "Hey, Misty, if you can stay in town long enough, how would you like to watch my Gym battle?"

"Sure, Ash. I'd love too!"

"Awesome!" Dawn cheered. "I won't be the only girl!" Ash and Misty laughed.

The trio was standing around eating cotton candy when something caught Dawn's eye. A battle was going on and it had drawn quite a crowd. But it wasn't the battle that Dawn noticed. It was a particular Trainer _watching _the battle who stole her attention. She gave Ash a nudge on the shoulder.

"Hey, look." Dawn then pointed to the Trainer. Paul.

Ash scowled quickly, but soon shook it off and smiled. "Can't hurt to go talk to him, can it?"

"Talk to who?" Misty asked as she poked her head between the two.

"Come on, Misty, there's someone you're gonna meet!" Ash grabbed her by the hand and took her over to the back of the crowd near where Paul was standing. Ash waved and called out,

"Hey, Paul!" Paul wasn't expecting anyone, so he seemed a bit on edge. But when he saw that it was only Ash, he calmed down. He was used to it now.

Dawn, Ash, and Misty ran over to Paul. "Hey!" Ash smiled.

"What is it? Because if you want a battle, I gave you your answer last time we met," came the annoyed reply.

Misty bent over to Dawn and whispered, "Who's the guy with attitude?"

Dawn gave a nervous smile. "That's Paul, Ash's current rival. The rivalry between these two is pretty intense."

"I'll say." By the time Misty looked back up, Ash had a scowl on his face and Paul was smirking. Misty, not in all her time with Ash, had never seen him scowl like that. She was enraged.

"Hey!" she barked. "What did you say to him?" Misty took two steps forward and now stood in front of Ash, hands on her hips. Paul was surprised that this girl was intervening for Ash. Couldn't Ash stand up for himself by now?

"Ash must be pretty pathetic if he has to have someone else defend him like this." Paul's smirk widened, and the scowl on Misty's face was bigger than ever. Dawn rolled her eyes. She knew where this was going.

"What was that?" Misty almost yelled, slugging a fist and taking a fighting stance. She looked ready to pounce any minute. Dawn sighed. It was like the Oreburgh Gym all over again.

She did what she had to, and stood between the two arguing Trainers and said, "That's enough! You guys don't need to be fighting like this!" Dawn gave them both those "move along" looks and then shot a death glare at Paul. "And _don't_ you say you forgot my name." That was one time in her life she could go without reliving.

Dawn never thought that breaking up that fight would be so simple. But it was made simple by Ash, who took Misty by the hand and began to lead her away.

"Come on, don't let him get to you." Misty reluctantly complied, but not without shooting one last glare at Paul. He smirked a little in return, just to annoy her.

"Impossible!" He looked back to the angry Coordinator standing in front of him. "You are just impossible!" Paul had a feeling this wasn't going to end soon. Ash and Misty were gone by now, so that left him alone with Dawn. He wasn't sure how persistent she could be, but judging by what he had seen, she wasn't the type to give up easily. "You can't just go around antagonizing Ash like that! And do you know who that was with us? That's Misty, the Cerulean City Gym Leader! And you should know that-" And at this point, he tuned her out.

Dawn was still in her lecturing mode, so Paul turned his attention to what was going on behind her. Instead of looking at her, he was looking past her. So that made it seem like he was paying some attention.

What really caught his eye was an ice cream vendor's cart. The man rammed his foot into the cart, dislodging it. And that cart began to roll down the hill. Straight for Dawn.

The cart was coming fast, so Paul did what he thought was right. He grabbed Dawn and swung her out of the way. The cart crashed into a stand, the people near the stall having fled before the cart hit.

Paul still had his mind on the idiot who had almost run over Dawn, but Dawn interrupted his thoughts.

"P-Paul?"

"Hm?"

"Look." Paul glanced down at Dawn and then realized what she meant. His arms were still snaked around her waist, and their faces were relatively close. And Dawn was blushing bright red. If bystanders hadn't known better, they'd think that he was holding her.

Paul blushed a little himself and let go, shoved his hands in his pockets, and began to walk away.

"Hey, wait up!" Dawn ran to catch up with the Trainer and slowed down when she had. "Can I… spend some time with you?"

Paul turned around a cocked an eyebrow at her. "Why would you want to do that?"

Dawn let out a sigh. "Listen. Ash and Misty need some alone time." He gave her another questioning look. "I think… they like each other. And I don't want to spend time with a love-struck Brock!"

"Why should I care?" Paul turned and began to walk away.

Dawn ran again until she stood in front of him. "Please? I mean, come on! You just saved me from a rolling ice cream cart! Please?" Her blue eyes pleaded and Paul simply nodded. Dawn's face lit up at his consent and she did a little dance before realizing that he wasn't going to wait up for her.

Dawn struggled to open a bag of chips. When she finally did, they spilled all over her lap. She let out a sigh, but food wasted is a horrible thing.

As she munched on the chips, two boys walked past her, snickering.

"What a klutz."

"She can't even open a bag of chips right!"

Dawn took the sneering in a negative way: she stood up, chips falling off her lap, walked over to those boys, and put her hands on her hips.

"Who do you think you're talking about?"

"You," one boy replied.

"What 'cha gonna do about it?" asked the other.

Dawn smirked. "How about a battle?"

"We only do tag battles.""No problem! Paul!" Dawn called back to the bench.

"What?"

"Be my tag battle partner?" When he looked unimpressed, she gave him her signature puppy-dog eyes. When that didn't win him over, Dawn ran over, grabbed his hands and begged. "Please?" Paul sighed.

"Fine."

Dawn cheered for herself. "Yay!" She turned back to the boys she had challenged. "You guys are so on!"

"Electrivire! Stand by for battle!"

"Togekiss! Spotlight!"

"Onix! Let's go!"

"Get 'em, Hitmontop!" All four Pokémon stood on the battlefield.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Paul asked Dawn. He hadn't seen her battle many times before and was not confident in her skills as a Trainer.

"Sure I do! Me and Ash do it all the time! I know what I is doing!" Dawn said proudly, her confidence fading as she realized _what _she had just said.

Paul smirked. "Looks like you don't know what you're doing after all."

"Hey! I have feelings, you know!" Dawn barked. "Why is everybody being so mean to me today?" she muttered under her breath.

"Onix, time to use Iron Tail!" The giant Pokémon's tail glowed as it went for Electrivire.

"Togekiss! Cover Electrivire with Aura Sphere!" Togekiss dove in with grace and fired a powerful attack while getting hit in the process.

"Electrivire, Giga Impact! Let's go!" Electrivire jumped up in the air, glowing purple and preparing to attack.

"Hitmontop, Rolling Kick!"

"Togekiss, Air Slash! Then follow up with Aura Sphere!" Togekiss pulled off the move flawlessly. "Yes!" Dawn cheered. "We've been working on that one for a while! I wonder what the judges would think…"

"Dawn!" Paul said, trying to get the Coordinator back into reality.

"Hey, you said my name!"

"DAWN!"

"Oh, yeah, right! Togekiss, Sky Attack!"

Ash and Misty's argument, or "conversation," as you could call it, about battle strategies was interrupted when a Thunderbolt ripped through the air from the other side of the park.

"What was that?" asked Misty.

"Looks like someone's having a pretty fierce battle." Misty nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes! We won!" Dawn yelled as she jumped up and down. "That Electrivire of yours is really something! Its Thunder is SO powerful!" she beamed.

"What did you expect?" replied Paul, a half smile on his face. Dawn giggled and gave him a big smile.

"Thanks for the battle, you guys!" "Yeah, it was great. I forgot to introduce myself earlier. I'm Jack and that's Wayne," one of their opponents said.

"I'm Dawn! This is my friend Paul!" At this Paul shot Dawn one of those looks - the kind you get from someone who thinks you just said that the sky is orange and wants to know if you were serious and actually said it. Dawn responded with one of those "Yes, I said it. DEAL WITH IT!" looks, and Paul just decided not to think about it.

"So anyway, we're going down to the wharf. You wanna come?" asked Wayne.

"No, thanks," Paul interjected.

Dawn was confused, but nodded her head in agreement.

Dawn was glad when Paul said that her following him would be less awkward if she talked. So she talked about the one thing she new best: Pokémon Contests.

"And so I had a bad feeling about going up against Zoey in the finals, but-" Dawn was stopped mid-sentence.

"What did you mean when you called us friends?"

She wasn't exactly sure how to reply. It had seemed like the thing to do at the time, but Dawn most certainly hadn't prepared an explanation as to why she had said it.

"Um… Well, I guess I could consider you a friend. We've known each other for a long time now, haven't we? And I know we haven't always gotten along," said Dawn, referring to that time at the Oreburgh Gym, "but that's no reason to impede a new friendship!" Dawn gave her best attempt at a smile, but was too nervous to pull it off correctly. Paul, however, turned around, gave her a slight smile, and nodded his head.

Dawn had always had a hard time controlling sudden emotion. So when she felt a wave of it come over her, she ran in front of her newly declared friend, blushed, and said,

"Thank you."


	4. Tumbling

This chapter's TeenCareshipping! If you don't know about this pairing (which most people don't), it's the pairing of Brock and Holly. Holly was Brock's partner for the Hearthome Tag-Battle Tournament (DP50-52). They both liked each other, but when they lost in the tournament, Holly felt she wasn't good enough for Brock and left to become a better Trainer. I wrote this chapter since I like this pairing and I thought that everyone deserves love, even Brock! So this chapter is fluffy and entirely dedicated to getting Brock a girlfriend.

Enjoy!  
-xxGlassRose :)

* * *

~It Must Be the Sunshine, Chapter Four~

"But wait! I think you're amazing and beautiful!" Brock cried as he struck out with yet another girl. She whipped around and gave him a hard kick to the shin. Brock collapsed, shocked by the pain. "Love hurts…" he muttered as he fell.

A single hand reached down to help Brock up. He grasped it despite not knowing to whom the hand belonged; it didn't really matter.

"Still as flirty as ever," spat an auburn-haired girl with her arms crossed.

"What do you- ohhh." Brock recognized the face. He could never forget that face-or those blue eyes.

"Good to see you haven't forgotten me. With all those others girls around, I couldn't _possibly_ have thought you could have," came the reply, sarcasm dripping from it.

"Holly!" Brock dropped to his knees. "My love, you have returned to me!" he cried.

"Oh, so I'm your _love? _What about all those other girls you just hit on?"

"But I love you!" Brock said, his eyes still sparkling at the return of his tag battle partner.

"You don't love me; you love every and any girl you lay your eyes on. Brock, I thought we had something special! But it's obviously nothing at all." Arms still crossed, she walked off.

This had to be the most painful rejection Brock had ever experienced.

Brock sat down on a bench and began to sort things out. He had always flirted with any girl he could. It had never bothered anyone who didn't have the responsibility of dragging him away from said girls.

But did Holly really think that they had something special?

Brock's mind flashed back to the Hearthome Tag Battle Tournament. He had immediately experienced rejection from Holly when she said she wasn't into younger guys. But soon, she became very fond of him, and fell for him a bit herself. It was different though. It wasn't like when Temacu fell in love with him back in Johto. He actually enjoyed it.

In the end, when he and Holly lost to Ash and Paul, Holly felt that she didn't deserve Brock and left to become a stronger Trainer. And he was crushed. Crushed thinking that he had lost his one chance at true love.

He had essentially forgotten about Holly, but it seemed that she never forgot him.

Holly stood alone. In a crowd, yet alone. She walked in silence, head down, broken.

How long had it been? It couldn't have been that much time. How could he just forget what they had? Forget what was? Or had he tired of what was and just moved on? She had no clue.

Holly let the wind mess up her hair as she sat on a hill that sloped down to the beach. Whatever. Brock had moved on.

Brock wasn't sure what to do. He would have gone to Ash if weren't for two things. One, he didn't know where Ash was. Two, Ash was completely hopeless when it came to romance. Dawn wasn't much better herself. He had to figure this one out on his own.

He may not have been sure of much of anything, but he did know one thing: he felt like dirt. He needed to find Holly.

When he saw her sitting on the hill, he suddenly got nervous-he hadn't thought of what to say yet.

Something told him that the words would just tumble out. But it didn't tell him he would tumble down the hill.

When Brock lost his footing, he teetered for a little bit and then seemed to regain his balance. But then he slipped, rolling over and over down the hill before coming to an abrupt stop at the bottom.

"Brock!" Holly yelled, as she had seen the whole thing. She slid down the hill and ran over to where Brock was lying. Holly examined him. He seemed alright, except for some bruises and scrapes. "Brock, are you hurting?" Brock moaned loudly. "Brock! Are you okay?" she asked, lifting his head up.

"I am now," he said smoothly. Holly dropped his head back down on the ground. "Ow! What was that for?" Brock asked, rubbing the back of his injured head.

"That was for trying to flirt with me!" Holly stood up. "Well, I guess you're fine then," she said, beginning to walk away.

"Yeah…" Brock started. But soon he found himself unable to stand up. "Gah!" he yelled as he fell back down. "I think- I think my ankle's hurt."

"You can't get up?" Holly asked, walking back over to where he was.

"No, I don't think so."

To Brock's surprise, Holly grabbed his arm and placed it across her shoulder.

"Holly, what are you doing?"

"Helping you." She hoisted the two of them up and they made their way back over to the festival.

At some point Brock couldn't take it anymore.

"Holly, what did I do to make you so upset?" Holly was caught off guard by this question, but soon answered.

"Yo-you were flirting with all those other girls-"

"Would there be anything I could do to make it up to you?" She stopped for a second. She surely hadn't see that coming.

"Oh, you'll think of something."

"I think I just did." Holly was about to ask what it was when Brock leaned over and kissed her.

"So, Holly, does that make it up to you?" he asked, a huge smile on his face. Holly's eyes sparkled with happiness as she said,

"Yes. I think it does."

* * *

The next chapter is Pokeshipping!  
I've noticed this story has gotten plenty of favorites but not a lot of reviews. Review! xD


	5. Lost

And now, the Pokeshippy chapter of IMBTS! I think I portray these two better in this chapter than earlier ones. ^^  
Just so you will know, chapters three, four and five are all happening at the same time. So while Dawn and Paul were together, and Brock and Holly, this chapter is about what Ash and Misty were up to!

Enjoy~!  
-xxGlassRose :)

* * *

~It Must Be the Sunshine, Chapter Five~

"So Misty, what do you want to do next?" Ash asked as he sipped his drink. Misty looked around.

"Hey, look! There's a Pokémon show! Ash, we should go!"

"Yeah, we should!" Ash agreed. "But it's all the way on the other side of the park."

"You're right. It would take ages to get over there." Ash's eyes scanned the area.

"Hey, Misty! I think I found a shortcut!" he exclaimed, grabbing her by the hand. A light blush danced on her cheeks as they went off into the crowd.

"Oh, man…" Ash muttered as he spun around, surrounded by unfamiliar booths and stalls. Misty's gaze drifted to their destination. They had been walking for some time now and didn't seem to be any closer.

"Ash, all this time and you still haven't gotten any better with directions?" Misty asked, hands on her hips.

"Well, Misty, how about you decide where to go?"

"How about you think before you lead us off someplace? Because you didn't!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!" They stopped a second to smirk at each other. This was like reliving old times.

Ash and Misty strolled along the paths together. They were arguing again, but this time it was about battling strategies.

"You have to go for the all-out offense!" Misty said.

"But defense is just as important as offense!"

"If you're too focused on defense, you can't make a quick win."

"That's not what-" A Thunderbolt ripped through the air, cutting Ash off mid-sentence.

"What was that?" asked Misty.

"Looks like someone's having a pretty fierce battle." Misty nodded her head in agreement. "Do you want to check it out? We could get over there on Staraptor."

"You mean you had Staraptor this whole time and you didn't use it when we got lost?" Misty yelled.

"Yeah, sorry," Ash said nervously. Misty looked back at the sky where the Thunderbolt had been.

"But I guess we should go check it out." Ash smiled. He threw his Poké ball.

"Let's go!"

The two boarded the Pokémon and took off into the sky, flying high above the crowds.

"_Wow! I feel so light!" _Misty thought to herself as they flew. _"And.." _her eyes moved down to her arms. They were snaked around Ash's waist so she would not fall. Misty smiled softly to herself. If you thought about it, you could say she was hugging him.

Not so long after, Ash spotted the battle.

"Misty! Look!" He pointed down to a field where four Pokémon were engaged in a fierce battle. Misty took a hard look at the Trainers, realizing she knew one.

"Wait a second. Is that-"

"Dawn?" Ash exclaimed. "With Paul?" He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Ash, are you sure? Do you want to check it out?"

"No way! I don't want to know!" Ash said. "Let's just go, Misty." Misty nodded and they flew away from the battlefield.

"Staraptor, return!" Ash said as his Pokémon returned to its ball.

"Too bad we never ended up going to that Pokémon show," Misty muttered sadly. Ash, examining his disappointed friend's face, came up with an idea.

"Hey, Misty, why don't we have our own battle?"

"You want a battle with me?" her voice trailed. "Alright. Ash, you're on!"

"Gible, I choose you!"

"Corsola, let's go!"

Ash and Misty stood opposite each other on the beach, the wind whipping their hair and the sun shining down on them.

"Just because we're friends, Ash," Misty started, "doesn't mean I'll be holding back!"

"I wouldn't expect you to! You didn't hold back at the Whirl Cup. Why would you now?" Ash asked smirking. "Gible, bite!" Gible brought its teeth down on Misty's Corsola.

"Spike Canon!" Ash knew this meant trouble. Spikes were shot inside Gible's mouth, knocking it backwards into a rock.

"Alright, Gible, Draco Meteor!"

At the Sunnyshore City Pokémon Center, Dawn's Piplup was taking a refreshing afternoon stroll after its treatments were finally done. When Piplup decided to rest under the shade of a tree, he noticed an orange ball coming down at him from the sky.

Nurse Joy burst through the door to see a damaged Piplup lying on the ground and evidence of an explosion.

"What happened? I just treated you…" she said as she took Piplup back inside the Pokémon Center.

"Where did that go?" Misty asked, her eyes scanning the sky.

"I have an idea…" Ash muttered under his breath. Then he stole his chance. "Gible! Rock Smash!" Corsola took a hard hit and was sent backwards. Misty thought for a second and then smirked.

"Surf!" In a few seconds, Ash could no longer see Gible. When the water washed away, Gible was in the water, facedown.

"Gible!" Ash and Misty ran out to the water to see that Ash's Pokémon had fainted.

"Is it okay?" Misty worriedly asked.

"I think Gible'll be fine," Ash said as he checked over Gible's injuries.

"Sorry about that, Ash. Surf's a really powerful attack and-"

"Hey! You said you wouldn't hold back, didn't you? I would have been mad if you hadn't kept your promise and given it your all." Ash stood to his feet. "Good battle, Misty," he said, offering her a hand. She took it and they shook.

* * *

I'm pretty excited about the next chapter. It's going to bring closure to the last three!


	6. Golden Glow

Yay! New chapter! I really like this one. But some notes before you read it:

There are three parts to this chapter. Each part focuses on a different set of characters: Brock and Holly, Ash and Misty, Paul and Dawn. Separating each part is a little divider that looks like so: xxooxxooxxooxx So when you see that, keep in mind that you're moving to a different place with different characters. It's not too hard to follow. ^^

Enjoy~!  
-xxGlassRose :)

* * *

~It Must Be the Sunshine, Chapter Six~

Brock looked at his shoulder and smiled. He had never been so happy in his life. After all this time, he'd finally scored a girl! And not to mention a good-looking one. She had her head on his shoulder and they sat on a bench near the center of the park, paying no mind to anyone who passed by.

"Hmm…" went Holly's contented sigh. She had missed Brock so much when she left Hearthome City. It was amazing that she had finally found him again, and even more amazing that he was willing to take her as his girlfriend.

"Hey, Holly?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to go do something?" Brock asked.

"Hmm… Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe something a guy might do with his girlfriend." The word "girlfriend" felt so good coming out of Brock's mouth.

"We could go get milkshakes," Holly suggested, moving away from Brock a little.

"Yeah!" Brock said, standing up and pumping a fist. "That so sounds like something a guy would do with his girlfriend!"

"Brock, you're weirding me out a little."

"Sorry."

"'T's alright," she said as she stood up and stretched. "There's an ice cream place that I know of not too far from here that makes a killer milkshake. You ready?"

"Yeah." Brock nervously reached down and grabbed Holly's hand. To his delight she didn't mind.

The ice cream shop had seen many young couples come through their store. But very few looked as happy as Brock and Holly did.

They left the shop holding hands.

"So Brock, what do you want to do tomorrow?" Holly asked.

"I don't know. Did you have plans?"

"Well, there's this super-romantic day cruise out on the ocean."

"That sounds awesome!" Brock said. "Honestly, Holly, I'd do just about anything if I'm doing it with you." Holly blushed.

"Brock that's really sweet."

"I can be really sweet," he said, taking a step towards her. "I've just never had a girlfriend before."

"That means you must have a lot of sweetness saved up for me!" Holly joked, giggling a little.

"You bet," Brock said smoothly as he placed his arm around Holly's shoulder.

xxooxxooxxooxx

"Gah, Misty, stop it!" Ash laughed as another cool splash hit his face. Misty laughed even harder as she scooped up more water. But Ash splashed her first.

"Ha!" Misty laughed as she moved the wet hair out of her face.

"Man, Misty, we're getting so wet."

"Do you wanna stop?" Misty asked. She was about to get up when another handful of water splashed her face. Ash was laughing hard at his dripping friend.

"I'm sorry, Misty, but I can't stop laughing!" Ash fell over on the soft sand holding his sides. He stared up at the sky. It looked just about perfect. There were only a few clouds and the ones present looked soft, like you could fall right into them.

"I haven't done something like this in a long time." Ash turned his head to see Misty lying right by him. "Just look up at the sky like this."

"I haven't either," Ash admitted. "It's really nice."

"Hey, Ash?" Misty asked after a while.

"Hm?"

"Where do you think everyone is?" It just then registered in Ash's brain that he hadn't seen Brock most of the day. And he hadn't seen Dawn in a while either, unless that was really Dawn he saw from the sky.

"I don't know. But does it really matter?"

"Huh?" Misty asked, rolling over to face Ash. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"They're probably out there having a good time. And that's what we're doing, right? Misty, I haven't been able to spend time with you in ages. And even then, we never got much time to spend just by ourselves." Ash let out a heavy sigh. "Misty, I don't know how long you'll be able to stay. So that means we should spend plenty of time together before you have to leave town." Ash's last words pained him. He didn't want to even think about Misty ever having to leave him again. He didn't want her to. But Ash knew good and well they couldn't stay forever like this. Still, if he had the choice he would. They would stay at the beach with the warm sun and the calming waves. They'd spend their nights at the Pokémon Center or camping out wherever. They'd battle the Trainers coming through town and they'd be happy. Happy forever. Or at least that's how it worked in Ash's mind.

He wanted to do big things. Like travel to other regions and battle all kinds of people and win a Pokémon League. And achieve his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. But it was so nice to slow down that he wasn't sure what he wanted right then.

Misty delicately dipped her foot in the water. Ash had his kicking the ocean. They sat together and watched the sun go down on the wooden dock. The two had been talking, but the sight was so beautiful that they soon were silent. Boats of all sizes bobbed in the harbor and everything had a golden glow to it. Ash's thoughts were simple. All he was thinking was,

"_I think I could stay like this forever."_

xxooxxooxxooxx

Dawn felt the sun streak her face. She closed her eyes and took in the scent of the grass and enjoyed its touch as she lay down on it.

When she opened her eyes, she glanced over at Paul, who was sitting about two feet away. He was looking up at the sky and appeared to be deep in thought. Paul had never struck Dawn as a thinker, but she realized that he must sit back and just think often since he was such a great battle strategist.

She closed her eyes again, and would have fallen asleep too if it weren't for a helpful nudge.

"Are you sleeping? Wake up," Paul said as he shook Dawn's shoulder. Dawn shot up.

"Whoa! What are you doing?"

"Keeping you from falling asleep out here."

"Oh," Dawn said as she got up and brushed off her skirt. "Thanks."

"Do you want to go back?" Paul asked. Inwardly Dawn didn't want to. She wanted to stay on the hill looking over the ocean forever. But still, she said,

"Um, yeah. Let's go."

Dawn looked over the hills that led down to the beaches. There was a stirring breeze in the air that blew the scent of the ocean around.

On a cliff there was a single violet that danced in the wind. When Dawn saw it, she immediately wanted to have it.

Straying from the path, she ran over to the cliff and gazed up at it.

"What are you doing?" Paul walked over and tried to see what had Dawn so distracted.

"That." She pointed up to the delicate violet. "I'm gonna get it!" She grabbed a vine on the cliff and pulled herself up. "Almost… Ah!" Dawn screamed as she fell to the ground. Paul watched as she tried again.

"You really want that flower, don't you?"

"I think it's pretty!" Dawn said roughly as her foot slipped down. "You probably think this is pathetic of me…"

"Move."

"What?" This break in concentration caused Dawn to slip down again.

"I said move." Dawn was confused, but complied. Paul lifted himself up with a different vine, managed to find footing, and picked the flower. Dawn was amazed. He had never struck her as athletic either, but he must be, because he had been able to work his way down a cliff once without getting harmed.

When Paul got down from the rock wall, he handed the flower to Dawn.

"Um, thank you," she said, nervously blushing.

"Yeah." Paul turned back to the path and continued walking with Dawn following close behind.

The next time Dawn glanced up at the sky, it was golden. But the simple idea of this day ending was a bit saddening.

"_Come on, Dawn! Just don't think about it!" _she yelled at herself.

"It's getting late."

"Huh?" Dawn snapped from her thoughts.

"I said it's getting late. You don't hear me much, do you? I repeat myself a lot around you."

"Well, excuse me for needing to hear things twice!" Dawn said, putting her hands on her hips. "You're not exactly the most talkative guy…"

"Then what am I?" Dawn, taken aback by his question, moved back even more when Paul stepped closer to her.

"What do you mean?" she asked. He took another step towards her and moved his face closer to hers. Dawn turned redder than the setting sun.

After a few seconds, Paul smirked and moved back. He turned around and continued walking along the path.

And Dawn stood behind, flustered out of her mind.

"What was that for?" she yelled as she ran to catch up with him.

"Heh, nothing."

"And there you are, back to your same old self," she muttered under her breath.

"So I guess this is goodbye?" Dawn asked. The sun was almost down and the cool breeze stirred leaves around her feet. All around them people were beginning to leave the festival and go on their way.

"I'm not leaving town or anything. I'll still be here tomorrow," Paul said.

"Will I be able to see you tomorrow?"

"If you want to."

"I want to."

"Well then, I'll see you tomorrow," Paul said, smirking. He turned around and began to walk away.

"Bye, Paul! See you tomorrow!" Dawn called out, waving. Paul, without turning around, waved back.

"_Dawn. She really is a crazy girl," _he thought to himself as he walked. _"But for some reason I like being around her."_

Dawn fingered the delicate violet in her hands.

"_I'm really glad he gave me this. It was so nice of him to get it for me," _she thought happily. _"Funny. Yesterday I didn't even know Paul could be so nice." _With every step Dawn grew more pensive. And soon, she found herself staring out at the sea.

The hill Dawn walked along had a sidewalk and the edge was lined by short evergreen trees. She was lost in though until she spotted two familiar figures on a dock below.

When she recognized them, she smiled to herself. They seemed to be laughing about something.

"Oh, Ash, you've fallen hard," Dawn said to herself as she watched the two figures on the dock.


	7. Intuitions

New chapter! I wrote this one faster. :3

And I realized that people might be wondering why the main characters of the story are Ash and Dawn when the story is Poke and Ikari. It's because you'll see Ash or Dawn's outlook on things more than anyone else's as the story goes on. It's because they really are the _main_ characters. They just won't end up togther.

So yeah, enjoy~!  
-xxGlassRose :)

* * *

~It Must Be the Sunshine, Chapter Seven~

"Hey! Dawn!" Dawn whipped around as she heard her name. "Hey!" Ash yelled and he and Misty ran inside the Pokémon Center.

"Ash, Misty, hi!" Dawn said, still surprised by their sudden entrance.

"We're lucky to find you here. We had no idea where you were!" Misty said between breaths.

"So now that we're here, how about we get some food? I'm starving!" Ash said, clutching his stomach.

"But, Ash, what about Brock?"

"Oh, yeah." Ash hung his head as he remembered that they were still missing one member of their group. "But we can get our Pokémon from Nurse Joy at least. I'm really missing Pikachu." Dawn and Misty nodded their heads before walking over to the main counter.

"Nurse Joy, we're back!" Ash greeted.

"Nice to see you. I'll get your Pokémon right away."

"Oh, and Nurse Joy?" Dawn asked.

"Yes?"

"Could you take my Togekiss in for treatment? We got in a battle."

"And my Gible."

"And my Corsola!"

"Alright!" Nurse Joy said. "I'll get everyone's Pokémon feeling fine."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy!" the threesome said.

Just as the nurse was about to go into the back room, the doors of the Pokémon Center flew open.

"Ahh! This is the best day ever!"

"Brock!" Ash, Misty and Dawn yelled in unison.

"Why, hello, Nurse Joy," Brock said as he sauntered up to the counter. "On a normal day I would try to win your heart. But today is no normal day. I got a girlfriend!"

"What?" All three gaped in surprise. Dawn and Ash exchanged confused looks while Misty's mouth simply hung open.

"Brock… got… a girlfriend?" Misty stuttered. "No matter how you say it just doesn't seem right…"

"You," Dawn started, pointing at Brock. "Got a girlfriend."

"Yep!"

"Well, who is she?"

"You know that girl we met at the Hearthome Tag Battle Tournament, Holly?"

"Yeah…"

"She's here! And we're dating!" Brock cheered, happy tears in his eyes. "I don't think I've ever been so happy!"

"Wow, Brock! I'm so happy for you!" Dawn chirped.

"Took him long enough…" Ash said under his breath, causing Misty to giggle.

When they got upstairs, the four decided to rest up and get ready for the next day.

"I'm going in the shower!" Misty called, a towel slung over her shoulder.

"'Kay," Ash replied. After Misty was gone, Dawn leaned over towards him.

"Hey, Ash, do you want to go outside?"

"Outside? Why now?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know… Why not?" Dawn sighed.

"Um, okay." The two stood up and headed for the door.

"Brock, we're going outside. Don't worry about us or anything," Dawn said as she turned the doorknob.

"Alright. See you guys."

"Pikachu, you stay here, buddy!" Ash called.

"You two, Piplup!" And with that said, they left the room.

Outside, the palm trees swayed gently, and the night was calm and quiet. The festival grounds were nowhere near vacant, so Ash and Dawn found themselves a place right by the water on an empty beach. They sat facing the ocean and stared out at it for a moment, until Ash broke the silence.

"So, Dawn, why are we out here anyway?" As much as Ash liked Dawn, he honestly would have rather been back in the Pokémon Center with Misty.

"I just wanted to come out here. Just the two of us, so we could talk."

"Talk?"

"So how was your day with Misty?" Dawn asked, leaning closer to him, eyes sparkling.

"Th-that's what you wanted to talk about?" Ash stuttered. "Why not just talk about it in the room?"

"Because Brock and Misty are there. And if you are going to get with Misty, then we need to talk about this stuff without them knowing what we're doing. Misty can't know that I'm helping you with this stuff. Then it won't be a surprise for her!"

"Wait, what? Dawn. Didn't we talk about this last night? I don't know how I feel about her yet." Ash spoke the last part slowly.

"But I think I do!" Dawn whined.

"You can't choose how I feel!"

"I'm not choosing. It's romance! I know! Trust me, Ash."

"Well, how do you know?" Ash asked.

"Call it a girl's intuition," Dawn said with a wink.

"You've never had this intuition before."

"What did you say?" Dawn snapped. Ash held his hands up.

"Nothing!" The next thing Ash felt was a jerk, and next thing he knew he was in the water and Dawn was giggling hard.

When Ash was back on the beach and Dawn had promised not to push him in the water again, they talked some more.

"Dawn, there was one thing I wanted to ask you."

"Yeah, Ash?"

"We both know I was with Misty today, but what happened after we left?" Dawn flushed.

"Well, first Paul saved me from getting hit by an ice cream cart…" she said slowly.

"So you really were with Paul today!" Ash exclaimed.

"Ash, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that I shouldn't have been with him because he's just trouble. But he's not. He's different."

"What do you mean by different?" Ash asked, cocking an eyebrow. Dawn slid her hands under her knees and stared out at the moon.

"I mean I've never seen him the way I saw him today. He might have a rough exterior, but there's something under all that. Something amazing. I want to dig deeper. I'm really intrigued by him. He's-"

"Dawn, from the way you say this stuff, it sounds like you really have a soft spot for him," Ash said. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"No. To be honest, I'm not. But he can't be all bad." Dawn thought of the violet that sat in the window sill of their room in the Pokémon Center. The violet Paul had given her. "He can't be."

Misty stepped out of the bathroom, her feet surrounded my steam. Clad in a sleeveless ocean-blue pajama top with a Spheal on it and matching pants, she still had a towel slung over her shoulder as before. She glanced around the room and then turned to Brock.

"Where's Ash? And Dawn?"

"They went out somewhere," Brock mumbled, turning his attention back to a book he had been reading. Misty frowned. A boy and a girl going out this late seemed suspicious no matter which way she looked at it.

"Brock?"

"Yeah?"

"Are Ash and Dawn… Well, you know…" Misty looked down at her feet and sighed.

"A couple? Nah," Brock said. "I mean, they are really close friends, but as far as I'm concerned, that's it. They kinda give off the 'brother-sister' vibe to me." Brock walked toward Misty. "Why did you ask?" She flushed red.

"I-I just wanted to know!" she stammered.

"Misty, I know you too well for that." Misty looked defeated. Crossing her arms, she gave up.

"Okay. It's because I kinda like Ash. Got a problem with that?" Brock smirked.

"Of course not. And to be honest, I think he might like you too, judging by the way he's been acting lately." Misty suddenly realized how different things had been since she arrived in Sunnyshore City. She and Ash held hands. Usually when one was leading the other one somewhere, but they had never held hands that much before. Ash had made a point of apologizing when Misty stepped out of the Pokémon Center. When they were flying on Staraptor, she had her arms around his waist and he didn't mind at all. And when he first saw her, he hugged her. Hugged her! That had never happened! Misty blushed when she thought of how many little things they had done, and how much time they had spent together in the past day.

"Ash… might like me?"

Misty was moved from her thoughts by the sudden sound of the doorknob turning. In trudged a wet Ash, with Dawn following.

"Ash, why are you wet?" Brock asked.

"Because of Dawn's intuitions," Ash replied. Misty looked on, confused.

"Intuitions?" Misty repeated. Dawn jumped out in front of Ash.

"Nothing! It's nothing!" she reassured, waving her arms. Then she threw a quick glare at Ash.

"Well, I guess we should get to bed. It's getting late," Brock yawned. He hopped on his bed.

"Yeah. We'd better get ready too," Ash said, yawning a little himself.

"Good night, you guys," Misty called as she got into her bed.

"Good night."


	8. Misunderstanding

Hey! Long time, no update, eh? Well right now I'm practicing writing for different pairings and fandoms, but I thought this story was due for a new chapter. ^^  
Right here the plot starts to thicken! And if Dawn seems OOC, I'm sorry, but it drives the rest of the story. She's just confused about her emotions, is all. *nods*  
And if it seems AshxDawn shippy, don't worry. Keep in mind one of the genres of this story is friendship! :)

Enjoy your read~!  
-xxGlassRose :)

* * *

~It Must Be the Sunshine, Chapter Eight~

Misty shot up in her bed. When she looked around, she realized that it was morning now and the sun shone through the window onto her face.

"_I had such a weird dream," _she thought as she sat up. No one else was awake yet. Ash was snuggled up with Pikachu, Brock was sprawled out all over his bunk, and Dawn was curled up next to Piplup in the bunk above Misty's. She peeked her head up to Dawn's bunk and took a good luck at Piplup.

"What a cute water Pokémon!" she said, smiling. "I wonder if…" Misty stuck out her hand, reaching towards the sleeping Pokémon. But in the last second, he jumped up.

"Pip-piplup!" And he fired a Bubble Beam attack.

"Gah!" Misty yelled as she fell over onto the floor with a thud, waking everyone in the room up.

"Misty!" Ash exclaimed as he hopped down from his top bunk. He ran over and placed a hand on her back. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Misty said, smiling. Dawn looked on quietly, thoroughly amused.

Dawn brushed her midnight blue hair out as Misty stepped out of the bathroom, ready for the day. As Dawn looked down at her hairbrush, and then back at Misty, an idea surged into her head.

"Hey, Misty!" she called out.

"Hmm?" Misty hummed as she strolled over.

"I have an idea!"

"What idea?" the redhead asked, cocking and eyebrow.

"Ta-da!" Dawn sang as she finished her work.

"My-my hair!" Misty yelled at the mirror. "I don't wear it like this usually…"

"But that's the idea!" Dawn encouraged. "It looks good!" _"And it will give Ash something to look at," _she added in her head.

Ash's attention jolted from Pikachu to the redhead stepping into the room with her hair swept down, loose and shining. Ash knew it in his head: she looked _good. _Really good. He had always liked it when she wore her hair down. But she never seemed to want to let it loose. No matter how much Ash wanted to avert his gaze, his eyes just couldn't stay off Misty.

"Wow, Misty, your hair looks nice," Brock said as he walked up to the two girls.

"I did it!" Dawn chirped happily. "Misty needed something different than her usual style." And upon seeing Ash staring at his friend, Dawn gave him a wink and a thumbs up. He shook off his trance and looked back at Dawn, smiling.

"Man, I can't wait for today! Pikachu and I are gonna battle!" Ash said, pumping a fist. The group was in the lobby of the Pokémon Center getting ready to leave for another day at the festival. Misty grinned at her friend's drive to win and took another look around the lobby. Where was Dawn?

"So, Piplup, this may be a little surprising to you, but as soon as we leave here, we're going to go find Paul."

"Piplup?" the Pokémon exclaimed, shocked that his Trainer wanted to associate with Ash's rival.

"I know it sounds strange. But I spent a lot of yesterday with him. He can be nice! Look!" Dawn spun around and picked up a small indigo flower off the window sill. "He gave me this."

"Pip," Piplup said with wide eyes. Dawn nodded.

"I really want to take it with me, but I'm not sure how," she muttered with small concern in her voice. Piplup snatched the flower from her hand, earning a surprised "Hey!" from his Trainer, jumped up onto her head, took her hat off, and tucked the violet behind her ear. Dawn took the hat back and walked into the bathroom.

"Wow," she said quietly. "I like it." She twirled around once, admiring her reflection. "Thank you, Piplup!" Dawn enveloped her Pokémon in a tight hug.

"Oh, there you are!" Misty called when Dawn had made her way into the lobby.

"Hey, guys!" the blue-haired girl greeted.

"Let's go, Brock!" Ash waved over to his older friend and the party of four left the Center.

"So, Dawn," a voice said. Dawn snapped from her thoughts and turned to face the voice's owner.

"Yeah, Ash?"

"I was thinking… Maybe you should come with me and Misty today." Misty was shocked. As much as she liked Dawn, was Ash really going to ruin their alone time just like that? It couldn't be helped, she figured. But she still wanted to be alone with her friend. Brock had plans with Holly. And she didn't really know where Dawn had gone the day before. All she was sure of was that she couldn't be alone with Ash if Dawn was there.

Dawn was even more shocked. She hung her head, and with a trembling voice managed to get out,

"W-what do you mean?"

"I mean that you should come hang out with us today," Ash said with a confused look on his face. Dawn clenched her fists.

"I knew it."

"What?"

"I knew it!" she said, a bit louder this time. "This is about Paul, isn't it? You don't want me to go spend time with him!" Misty took a step back.

"_So that's where she was?"_

"Dawn," Ash said. "I think you've got the wrong idea. I just thought-"

"You thought you were protecting me! I don't need it, Ash! I don't! I can handle this on my own!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You _know_ what I'm talking about!" Dawn cried. "Last night, remember? This is what I want to do!"

"I'm not trying to protect you!"

"Then why do you want me to go with you instead of with Paul?"

"Because you're my friend!" Ash yelled, placing his hand on Dawn's shoulder. "You're my friend and I enjoy spending time with you. Maybe I could even help you out with your little mission," he said smiling.

"Pika pika!" chimed Pikachu.

Dawn knocked away his hand.

"Forget it, Ash. I'm handling this one alone." And with that she tore off toward the festival, running as fast as her legs would take her.

"Dawn!" Misty yelled as she was about to run after her new friend. But a firm hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Brock, what are you doing? I'm going after Dawn!"

"Misty, she won't listen to you."

"She will!"

"She won't. She needs time to clear her head. Until she calms down, she won't want to hear any of it. Give her some time." Misty sighed. She knew he was right. And even though she hated that he had to be right, he was.

Meanwhile, Ash stood in place, completely dazed.

"Man, Dawn…"

Dawn felt a single tear roll down her cheek, followed by a few others.

"_How can he be so protective?" _she thought. _"I can do things on my own, without him! He's been supporting me so long… I need to do this for myself!" _A few more tears rolled down her cheeks and Piplup gave her a few looks of concern. She just squeezed the Pokémon in her arms a little tighter.

Not looking where you are going in a crowded place can be a very bad thing. But right then, it didn't matter where Dawn was going. As long as it was away.

"This is just a big misunderstanding!" Ash said, frustrated as he walked along the path to the festival with Misty. "Dawn's my friend! Even though I'm not too big on her spending all that time with Paul, still-"

"We have to make her understand that we're there for her!" Misty cheered. "She really overreacted."

"Yeah… I wish Brock were here right now, but he just left to go see Holly…"

"Pika," Pikachu agreed, currently in a thinking position on Ash's shoulder.

"That leaves the two of us to go find Dawn," Misty reasoned.

"But maybe we should take it slow. I mean, you know what Brock said. We have to at least give her time enough to cool down." Misty nodded. She had gotten Ash to herself after all, but was angry that it had to happen this way.

"But while she does cool down," Ash began, taking his friend by the hand. "We might as well have some fun!" Misty blushed and nodded as he led her off toward the festival.

Dawn picked up her speed a little bit after weaving through a thick part of the crowd. She hadn't stopped running since she started, and had no idea when she would stop.

A small crack in the pavement sent Dawn straight toward the ground. But at the last second, a firm pair of hands caught her. She looked up into the person's eyes.

* * *

Guess who caught Dawn! :D Did you guess? Well I can tell you now it's probably not who you think it is! But the person who you are most likely thinking of (provided we're on the same page) _will_ have something to do with the person Dawn found. The next chapter is in the works! Stay tuned!


	9. Just Tell Me

Happy Valentine's Day, wonderful reader of mine!

Since it's V-Day, it makes for a good time to update, right? Well my life been pretty busy lately so I can't write as quickly anymore, but since I know exactly how this story ends, I'm SOOOO gonna finish it. Yay!

Looking at this chapter now, it's kinda short. Oh well. It's Paul-centric, so I had a ton of fun writing it. I just love him! The next chap is going to be Misty-centric, and then we'll come back to Dawn and Paul. So it may not be too soon, but I'll do my best to get chapters out as quickly as I can (without comprimising the quality of my stories, of course). It's just there's school, tennis, friends, church, and everything else! Yup yup, it's a busy life, but I'm lucky to have it. Well, you didn't start reading this to find out about my personal life did you? (Or let's hope you didn't.) So get on w/ the reading!

Enjoy~!  
-xxGlassRose :)

* * *

~It Must Be the Sunshine, Chapter Nine~

Paul watched as the small penguin Pokémon gobbled down its ice cream as fast as a train races along its tracks. The Pokémon's Trainer, however, barely touched hers, mostly poking it with a spoon here and there.

Paul leaned back in his chair. How he had ended up with the two of them, he would never know.

Well, it wasn't really a question of _how. _He knew exactly how it had happened; what we really wanted to know was _why_ it had happened.

{F L A S H B A C K S T A R T}

Paul stuffed his hands in his pockets, wandering around the festival grounds aimless and bored. His mind was at work though. Thinking of things: whom he could battle, where good battles were, and if he'd really see Dawn again. He liked her better when she was away from her friends.

Suddenly he got this strange feeling and turned around to see none other than Dawn, falling into the arms of a guy who looked to be in his teens. Without knowing why, Paul decided to investigate. He didn't like what he saw.

Dawn had a horrified look on her face, tears in her eyes, and the guy who had caught her had just made a comment on her skirt. Her very _short_ skirt.

"Hey," Paul called out to the guy. "Leave her alone."

"What?" the boy said, smirking. "Are you her boyfriend or something?" Paul cringed at the word "boyfriend."

"No, and you aren't either, so get out of here." If looks could kill, this guy would have been murdered in a matter of two seconds. Dawn scampered behind Paul.

A battle ensued. It was, in a sense, inevitable. Torterra vs. Swampert. The type matchup alone seemed to give Paul the victory right away. Not to mention that he was a much better Trainer.

The loser guy shoved his hands in his pockets, muttering something about how there were plenty of other cute girls around and Dawn wasn't worth it. He turned and walked away, but not without shooting one last look at Dawn. She winced.

"Paul…" her voice drawled. The addressed turned around and gave her a confused look. She suddenly burst into tears again, leaning on her friend for support.

"S-stop crying!" Paul flinched. He didn't know anything about girls, especially crying ones. "Stop." She continued to bawl. He groaned. "I'll get you ice cream or something-just don't cry!"

{F L A S H B A C K E N D}

So that's where he was. Sitting in an ice cream parlor, watching a blue-haired Coordinator mess around with her food.

The silence was killing him. Usually he was okay with not talking, but this normally peppy and cheerful girl was _sulking. _It was just too much.

"So," he began, leaning forward and placing his hands on the table. Dawn lifted up her head to face him. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing…" she mumbled, still looking down. He frowned. Something had to be wrong. You just didn't see Dawn like this. It was almost unreal.

"You're a horrible actress." She refused to respond. "Come on," he said. "It's not like you to be like this." She let out a small laugh to his surprise.

"You don't know me that well. What if it is?"

"I know you well enough from yesterday to be able to say that it's not." Dawn cracked a smile.

"You're right."

"So what's up with you?" Paul surprised himself with his interest in her problems. Before yesterday he wouldn't have cared.

"I-I just don't want to talk about it, okay?" she said slowly. He could respect that. If she really didn't want to talk, she didn't have to. But it was going to bug Paul for a while. Her demeanor seemed to defy all that he knew was normal. And it bothered him so much that he could barely keep his eyes off the girl.

The silence floated in the air once again as the duo and Piplup made their way down the less-populated roads closer to the beaches and away from the heart of the festival. The sun had set behind the hills just minutes ago and street lights illuminated the path on which they walked.

And the silence was equally murderous as it had been before. Paul had decided by this point that something was eating away at Dawn's heart and she was internalizing all of it. He knew she shouldn't do that. He had too much experience doing that himself.

They walked into an alley in order to cut past a street. Since no one was really looking, and since he couldn't take it anymore, Paul grabbed her by the shoulders and backed her up towards the wall.

"Dawn, I know there's something wrong with you. Just tell me what it is!" He could feel his voice rising in volume with every word. She looked so inwardly hurt that it was hurting him, and though he didn't know why, he didn't want her to hurt anymore.

Dawn read his eyes like a book; he wasn't playing with her. She let out a heavy sigh and gave in.

"I… had a fight with Ash." A few small tears fell from her eyes. "I don't want to talk to him right now."

Paul wore a curious look on his face. Who knew Ash would have made a girl cry so much?

"You guys are traveling together, right? You have to go back at some point-"

"But I don't want to!" He was cut off by her cries as she moved her arms from her side to around his back. The boy's mind raced. She was crying _and_ hugging him. Oh, man. "I haven't decided what to do about things yet..." she got out between sniffles. "If I go back, I'll just do something stupid again and mess everything up."

"Wh-what are you going to do, then?" Paul asked shakily. He had never been good in these situations. And Dawn hadn't let go yet.

"I don't know, get my stuff and rent another room in the Pokemon Center, I guess."

Without really thinking, Paul spoke.

"You could come camp out with me." The next thing he knew, he was looking straight into the much happier face of a blue-haired Coordinator.

"Really?" she asked, eyes glimmering.

"Uh, yeah…"

"Okay! I'll go get my stuff!" Dawn bounded off, along with her Piplup, and Paul was left standing alone on the street asking himself one question:

"What did I just do?"

* * *

Oh man, I can't wait to start working on chapter eleven! Haha! What did Paul just do, anyway? I bet he's gonna regret it later (well, I really shouldn't bet considering I'm the author. Excuse my hyperness, I have had WAY too much sugar today. Rofl!).


	10. Denial

**HEY! **

Guess what! I'm not dead!

I'm sorry I've taken AGES to update. I just got all bunred out on this fic and had a really hard time coming up with ideas. :( But the other day, I got this fantastic idea, and here it is!

Now, let me say this: I'm like half done with the next chapter, so hopefully in a week or so (or less!), I'll have it up and ready! I'm not gonna drop this. This chapter was the real obstacle, because from here, I pretty much know how the story's gonna go. :D

Enjoy!  
-xxGlassRose :)

* * *

~It Must Be the Sunshine Chapter Ten~

Blue eyes darted back and forth between the two younger Trainers. The owner of the eyes moved her chin from its propped-up position on her hand, leaned back in her seat and smirked.

"Ah! You guys are just too _cute_!"

She was met by two cringing faces.

"C-cute?" asked one of the Trainers, making a twisted face as his Pikachu looked on in bewilderment as well.

"Us?" asked the other one.

"Yep! You two are dating, aren't you?" the older member of the party questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Her question received a simultaneous answer. "NO!" The two looked at her, then at each other, and red began coming to their faces. So they looked away quickly.

The blue-eyed girl, determined to prove she was right, moved her attention to the boy. "Aw, come on, Ash! You have to like her just a little bit, don't you?"

She watched in amusement as his face got redder. "Holly, it's not like that! Me and Misty are just friends."

"That's right," Misty agreed from across the table. "We're not a couple." Even though the redhead had already confessed to Brock that she had a few tiny feelings for her longtime friend, it was still extremely embarrassing when someone brought up the subject of them dating. Simply because they just _weren't_.

"_Yeah_, of course you're not." The two groaned loudly at Holly's response. It wasn't true!

"Alright!" Brock walked over to the trio, a steaming pot of soup in his hands. "Time to eat!" Misty smiled as soon as she caught the scent of food. One of the things she greatly missed from the early days of traveling with Ash and Brock was Brock's superb cooking. She welcomed the bowl, and after she began eating, realized that it tasted just as she had remembered it.

Holly brought the warm bowl to her face, inhaling the smell. "I love having a boyfriend who can cook."

"And I love having a girlfriend who enjoys my cooking," Brock said as he sat down with the group. "Well, I love having a girlfriend period, but the fact that she likes my cooking is a bonus." The auburn-haired girl giggled, and her boyfriend smiled back at her. Misty stuck her tongue out, and Ash, being the only one who saw it, struggled to suppress a laugh.

"Hey, Brock, isn't there a little blue-haired girl who travels with you guys?"

Brock nervously looked at Ash, who looked at Misty, who looked at Pikachu, who looked back to Brock. "Um, she's… exploring the festival with another friend of hers and won't be joining us today." Brock hurriedly said.

"Aw, that's too bad," Holly mumbled as she stirred her soup in circles with her spoon. "I always kinda liked her… whatever her name is…"

"Dawn," Misty was quick to say. After getting a slightly confused look from the auburn-haired girl, she added, "Her name's Dawn."

"Oh yeah! I remember now. Did she ever get to do that Coordinating thing she wanted to do?"

"The Grand Festival?" Ash asked. "Yeah, she made it to the finals, but lost."

"The finals? Cool! And she made it to the finals of the Hearthome Tag Battle Tournament too!"

Misty tilted her head to the side. "Hearthome Tag Battle Tournament?"

"It's a tournament where you are randomly matched with a partner and the two of you have to battle together against other teams," Brock began to explain. "It's also where Holly and I first met."

"The perfect match!" the two exclaimed together as they struck a pose. Ash and Misty simply looked on, still in mild amazement that Brock had even managed to get a girlfriend.

"I think I'm gonna go walk around a little," said Misty as she placed her empty bowl by Brock's other cooking supplies. With a wave, she headed off into the nearby woods.

"Hey, Misty, wait up!" Ash called, running after the redhead with Pikachu trailing close behind.

"He really does like her, doesn't he?" Holly mumbled to herself.

Brock began stacking the group's bowls. "Yep. He sure does."

"Misty? Mist? Where'd ya go?" Ash yelled into the forest, dodging tree branches. All of a sudden, he heard a blood-curdling scream. "Misty!" he shouted as he took off running.

"Azumarill, Water Gun!" Misty screeched. The Pokémon quickly fired its attack, and Ash arrived to see what was causing the redhead so much grief.

A Kricketot was tumbling over after having been hit by Azumarill's attack. It stood back up and ran at the blue Pokémon, preparing to use Bug Bite.

"Pikachu, Thunder Bolt!" The Kricketot fell to the side and promptly ran into the bushes as soon as it could stand back to its feet.

"Ash! Thanks so much," Misty sighed in relief, a hand placed on her heart. "Bug Pokémon still really freak me out…. You probably think I'm a total loser for not having gotten over my fear of them after all this time…."

"Of course not!" Ash said, when on the inside he was actually a tiny bit happy she was still afraid of bugs so he could swoop in and save her like an action hero. "It's fine to be scared of stuff. I mean, everybody's scared of something, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so. But really, thanks. You're like… my hero."

Ash felt his face getting redder and redder. "Um, yeah, no problem, Mist." He turned around, crossing his arms in an attempt to look cool. And to hide the fact that he was blushing.

"Now, how about we get out of the woods? I don't want to have any more… well, you know."

"Yeah, let's go."

Not long afterward, a green blob descended in front of the pair and yet another blood-curdling scream was heard.

Misty grabbed onto the nearest thing for dear life - and that thing happened to be Ash. She had her arms wrapped around his arms, which kept him from moving, and was whispering, "Make it go away, make it go away, make it go away…" Ash nodded to Pikachu, who took care of the surprise-attack Spinarak.

But he waited a few seconds to tell her it was gone, just so she'd keep holding onto him.


	11. All Those Pretty Lights

Yay, Ikari! This chapter is the follow-up for chapter nine! I like this one a lot, actually.

So guys, I have some news.  
**This summer, I am going to try to finish this story.  
**It'll be my major story priority for the summer (sorry Dawn's Diary and 13th Street). I really want to finish this. And, depending on how much I pack in a chapter, I could probably wrap up this story in five more. They would be longer chapters, though.

Well, enjoy the chapter!  
-RD :)

* * *

~It Must Be the Sunshine, Chapter Eleven: All Those Pretty Lights~

Dawn rolled out her sleeping bag onto the grass and wiped her brow. "Alright, Piplup!" she said as she turned to face the penguin Pokémon. "That's the last of our preparations! We're ready to go!"

"Piplup!"

The blue-haired girl sat on top of her sleeping bag, undoing her hair clips. She then caught sight of her newest friend and felt her lips pull into a slight smile. He sat on a nearby rock, reading something on his Pokédex.

"Looks like he's deep in thought again," she quietly whispered to herself. She also figured that he chose to sit there because of the view. The two had chosen a forest clearing right near a cliff to spend the night, and from the cliff, you could look down on the city and see all the lights from the festival.

Paul flipped quickly through Pokédex entries, trying his best to formulate a strategy that would help him win in the Sinnoh League. As much as he hated to admit it, Ash would be a threat to his victory. And he had a gut feeling that they would end up battling each other. "Just my luck…"

"Hey!" Paul swore he had a miniature heart attack when a pair of hands landed on his shoulders.

"Hey," he said back after seeing who it was. "Thanks for just scaring the life out of me." Paul turned his attention back to his Pokédex and Dawn frowned.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just wondering-"

"About what?"

"I was wondering if we could just… you know…"

"No," Paul began. "I'm afraid I don't know."

"Talk!" Dawn loudly blurted out. "I was wondering if we could just talk."

The boy closed his black Pokédex and deposited it by his side. "Why?"

"Well, we're up here, camping out and stuff, and I realized… I don't know you that well. And… I would like to get to know you." The strange look on his face discouraged her a little. "Um, don't worry about it-"

"What do you want to know?"

"Well," Dawn began as she sat down next to the rock. "Everything, I guess. Like, what's your family like? I've met Reggie, and he's really nice. But what's the rest of your family like?"

"They're… alright."

"Really?"

"Yeah… My dad's… not exactly part of the family anymore." After a pause, Paul continued on. "My mom works really hard and… then Reggie - wait a second. Why am I telling you all this?"

"Because I want to know," Dawn replied, hugging her knees to her chest and giving her friend a small smile. "I think your life's interesting."

"That's a first."

"Aw, come on! There has to be somebody else who thinks that your life is worth hearing about!"

"Just… Never mind." They sat together for a few seconds in silence. "What I really want to know is…" Dawn looked up at Paul expectantly. "What happened between you and Ash."

"I don't really want to talk about it…" she mumbled, looking down at her boots, which were suddenly very interesting pieces of clothing.

"I told you about my family, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you hardly told me anything."

"But that's still something."

The blue-haired girl let out a long sigh. "Alright, here's what's happened recently." She put a finger on her chin, thinking. "I guess it all kinda started when me and Brock found Ash's old friend Misty at the grocery store. Brock's her friend too. But anyway, she ended up staying with us. I didn't mind, though. Misty's really cool, and I thinks Ash likes her more than in the friend way. Then, remember that day you saved me from the ice cream cart?"

Paul smirked. "How could I forget? That was yesterday."

"Oh, yeah." Dawn blushed when she realized how little time had actually passed. "Well, that happened, and apparently Brock got a girlfriend that day. Which is totally weird. I didn't get that at all."

"And?"

"And I told Ash about… well, our time hanging out together that night when I went back to the Pokémon Center, and he wasn't all that happy about it. And today I got mad at him because I thought he was being too judgmental of you. So I ended up running away."

"So, essentially, this is my fault."

"No! No, it's not your fault at all. It's all my fault," Dawn said, burying her face in her knees. "It's so stupid! I just ran off without really hearing Ash out. I was the one being judgmental. I didn't even listen to him."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know…" the girl muttered, face still in her knees.

"Moping around about it isn't going to get anything fixed, you know."

"I know that!" Dawn whined loudly.

"Then," Paul began slowly, "do something about it. Ash is probably worried sick about you."

"Do what, though?"

"Go apologize," the boy said as if it were extremely obvious. "Swallow your pride and go back."

She shrugged off the suggestion. "And you're telling me this even though _you _can't swallow _your_ pride and get along with Ash."

He rolled his eyes. "My relationship with Ash has nothing to do with this."

"Yes, Paul. It does. It has everything to do with this!" Dawn yelled as she stood to her feet. "If you guys could get along, I wouldn't have these problems!"

"You said this wasn't my fault!" Paul shot back, raising his voice.

"Well, well… UGH!" Dawn sank back to the ground and hid her face in her hands. "I'm sorry…"

"Whatever," the boy shrugged, putting up an indifferent façade.

"What's wrong with me? I keep yelling at all my friends. If I keep this up, I won't have any left." After a pause, she quietly asked, "Paul? Are you still mad at me?"

"Hn, you may be troublesome." At this Dawn made a face. "But no, I'm not mad at you."

"You're not?"

Dawn swore he was smiling as he said, "You're kinda hard to be mad at."

"Well, I hope that means Ash isn't too mad at me either."

"The only person I've ever seen Ash get mad at is me," Paul commented with a smirk.

"Yeah, you really know how to make him angry… But that's not a good thing," she said back with a light laugh. "Paul?"

"Yeah?"

"Look up."

And so he did, and when he did, he saw the most beautiful display of stars he had seen in ages.

"Wow… You think that you wouldn't be able to see them with all those lights down there from the festival."

"They're so pretty!" Dawn exclaimed, staring at the dots of white spread across the sky. "Don't you think so?"

"I guess," Paul shrugged.

She dismissed his response with a wave of her hand. "Oh, quit it with the tough guy act. You don't have to act like that around me."

"It's not an act."

The sounds of Dawn's laughter could be heard throughout the surrounding forest, and it woke Piplup from its sleep. The penguin Pokémon was not very happy about this and ran over to begin pecking his owner. "Hey!" Dawn said, "Lay off, Piplup!" The two were soon play-wrestling, rolling around in the grass. Paul turned his attention to the arguing pair, and the slightest of smiles could be found on his face._"She's insane… And so am I for liking her."_

* * *

Huzzah! He likes her! xD


	12. Reunion

Hello, readers! New chapter here!

Happy Ikarishipping Day! :D I thought it'd been fun to update on it, haha :)

This is the longest chapter thus far, and I think we have about three left? I'm not sure, but I'm really looking forward to the next chapter. It's gonna be so much fun (well, for me, anyway). About this chapter though, I could have elaborated more, but I wasn't exactly sure what to say so I kinda rushed it. :/ Hope it's alright.

Enjoy!  
-RD :)

* * *

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Paul asked, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Ready as I'll ever be," the blue-haired girl said with a sigh.

He peered over her shoulder. "You don't look very ready to me. How much stuff do you pack?"

"As much as I need!" Dawn said back angrily. "I'm a girl. And besides, this is only like a tenth of what I wanted to bring on my journey. Most of this is my Contest stuff."

"How do you get it all to fit in there?"

She smiled up at Paul. "I make good use of the space." Dawn closed her bag and stood up. The two began to walk, but she suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Paul?"

"Yeah?" he asked as he turned around.

"I'm scared." He rolled his eyes. "I'm serious, Paul! What am I going to say?"

Paul shrugged, stepping closer. "Wing it."

"That's not as easy as you think it is!" Dawn yelled back, looking up into his eyes. "I don't know if I can do it."

"You can do it," he began as he reached up and grabbed onto her shoulders. "Because I say you can."

She giggled, "You're so bossy!" After a pause, Dawn nodded. "Alright, I can do this. Let's go."

Brock looked around at the three people he was with. Ash and Misty were arguing about where to get breakfast, and Holly was humming some song he didn't know and had one of her hands in his. And then there was Pikachu, who was on Ash's shoulder and looking much too miserable there listening to the current argument.

"Hey, Brock," Holly whispered. "What do you say we pick where to eat and get those two to stop fighting? It's giving me a headache."

"Good idea."

"I like waffles better than pancakes!"

"Just because the place is called a 'pancake house' doesn't mean that they don't have waffles!" The arguing pair stopped when a hand landed on each of their shoulders.

"Holly and I have made an executive decision! I am going to cook breakfast since you two can't agree."

"Will we have waffles?" Ash asked excitedly.

"We're going to have French toast," Holly said. "Making a compromise."

"Since you two keep acting like three-year-olds."

"We are not!" Ash and Misty simultaneously yelled.

"Yes, you are!" yelled another voice. The party turned around confusedly.

Misty narrowed her eyes. "That almost sounded like…"

"DAWN!" The group of four made a sprint to where the girl was standing and tackled her in a huge group hug.

"We missed you!" Brock exclaimed.

"Where'd you go?" asked Misty.

"Glad you're back!" Ash said.

"Hey! Welcome back!" yelled Holly.

"Hi, guys." Dawn was struggling under all the weight of her friends coming to greet her. "Guys? I love you and all, but can you please stop killing me?" The four removed themselves and muttered their apologies.

"Wait," Brock began, having noticed that Dawn was not alone. "Is that _Paul_?"

The aforementioned opened his mouth to make what Dawn assumed to be some sort of snide comment, but she stopped him. "Yeah! Paul's been helping me out lately! I spent last night with him."

Holly cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Not like that!" Dawn shrieked. "We slept in different sleeping bags!"

"_Of course _you did," Holly said, nodding. "I bet you got cold and snuggled together to keep warm." Just when poor Dawn thought she was going to die, Brock told Holly that she really had to stop teasing all his friends. Which was true.

As soon as Brock had Holly off her back, Dawn slipped away to her purple-haired friend.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey."

"Um… What, you know…. happens now?"

"What do you mean?" Paul asked.

"I mean what happens to us? I'm back with Ash, but… what are you gonna do?"

He shrugged. "Train, I guess. And then head over to Lily of the Valley Island for the Sinnoh League Conference."

"That's where Ash is going!" Dawn excitedly exclaimed. "After he gets his eighth Badge, that is."

"So that means…"

"I'll see you there," she replied with a huge smile. Paul nodded, turning away. With a wave, he began to walk away.

Dawn watched him go, clenching and unclenching her fists slowly. "Wait!"

Paul turned back around, only seeing a bluish blur before he was wrapped in a tight embrace. Dawn was burying her face in his chest, squeezing him a bit too tight for his taste. He slowly placed his arms around her, giving Dawn a squeeze of his own.

"I'm gonna miss you, Paul."

"I'm gonna miss you, too."

"We'll see each other at the Sinnoh League, won't we?"

"Yeah," he replied. "We will."

"Promise, okay?"

"I promise."

Little did they know that a pair of wandering eyes saw the whole scene.

Dawn came back to the group sighing periodically. She was really going to miss Paul. In just two days he had become such a big part of her life and now he was just gone. Things would go back to the way they were before. She would only see him periodically, never knowing when he would turn up next. Dawn just hoped that Ash would hurry up and get his Beacon Badge soon so they could hurry up and get to Lily of the Valley Island!

As the group walked back to the Pokémon Center, Dawn stayed at the back of the bunch, clutching her loyal Piplup tightly. Soon, however, she wasn't alone, as Misty slipped behind the others to talk to the blue-haired girl.

Hoping that the others wouldn't hear, she whispered, "Spill it, Dawn. What's going on between you and Paul?" Misty watched as Dawn flushed.

"Nothing's going on! We're just friends."

"I saw you hug him."

"Friends can hug."

"They don't hug for like two minutes."

Man, Misty had her cornered. Yes, it was true that the two were friends, but after all Paul had done to help her, Dawn found herself wishing that they were a little bit more than that. She knew that she was young to start dating at age twelve, but she wanted to.

Really wanted to.

"I think you like him," the redhead continued. "You sure act like you do. And I only had to watch you for less than ten minutes to know."

"I… um…"

"Don't worry about it. I think it's romantic. And if you're worried, I won't tell Ash about the little hug scene. That way he won't go all over-protective again and we won't have any other… _problems_."

"You knew about that?"

"He told me. Besides, from you guys' fight, it was pretty obvious what was up."

"So... It's okay if I like him?"

"Nothing wrong with having a crush." Misty flashed a bright smile, and Dawn slowly smiled back. If this was the girl that Ash liked so much, Dawn approved entirely.

"Thanks, Misty."

"I bet you couldn't even beat me at even one of those games!" Ash taunted with a smirk. He and Misty were at it again, for what Brock claimed to be the third time that day. And it was only lunch time. They sure had been arguing a lot as of late. Pikachu was trying to play referee, but the poor Pokémon was sadly being ignored.

"Oh, please! You just don't want to challenge me because you're afraid of how badly you'll lose!"

"No way!"

"Care to prove it?"

"You're on!" Ash scanned the festival grounds. "That one there."

"The shooting booth?"

"Yeah. You and me."

"Loser has to?"

"Get in the dunk tank."

"That's some gambling you're doing there, Ash," Misty said, shaking her head. "But I'll take you on. Just for the humiliation you'll suffer when you lose."

"Yeah, right!"

"Exactly. I'm right."

The two stormed off to who knows where, and Brock, Holly, and Dawn decided it was best to let them duke it out and have a nice lunch. Finding Ash and Misty would be too much of a chore, since the arguing pair would most likely make their way around the entire festival. Exercise was a nice idea, but tracking Ash and Misty was just too much.

"Maybe we should have followed them after all, Piplup," Dawn whispered to her Pokémon. To her dismay, Brock and Holly were on another date. They were sweet… But _too_ sweet. And she felt like the third wheel. "I hope Ash and Misty come back soon…"

"Pip piplup!" her friend replied in a manner that seemed to say, "They'd better!"

"Because, Ash, I told you that I'm never letting you lead us through this place again." Ash had protested when Misty took the reins on their adventure through Sunnyshore City. They had been going around to various booths, deciding one game was not enough to prove who was the best. Mostly because they tied.

"It was kinda fun when we got lost though."

"I don't want to relive that." He sighed, giving in. He'd been arguing with Misty all day and eventually it got tiring.

"Okay. We'll go with what you think." Pikachu, extremely proud of his Trainer's choice for peace, patted him on the head approvingly.

"Pika!"

"Okay, let's go that way! There's a Ferris wheel over there. You haven't been on it, have you?"

"Nope. Sounds fine. But I don't see how it's part of the competition."

"We can take a break, can't we? We'll continue after this."

As the Ferris wheel reached its peak, Ash swore he felt Misty tense up. They were so high above the ground that he himself was a bit intimidated. If they were to fall…

He decided not to think about that.

Pikachu was in Misty's lap, acting as some source of comfort for the girl who was getting even more uncomfortable. The descent was beginning, and it always seemed more menacing than the ascent.

Misty had no one to blame but herself. It was her idea to board the giant spinning wheel in the first place, and all this could have been avoided had she kept her mouth shut. It was kind of odd to be in such a small metal chamber with Ash and Pikachu, mainly because it was so, well, small. There was nowhere to go, and it had been about six minutes and not a word had been spoken since the pair got on the Ferris wheel.

Ash made the mistake of looking down again. He was sure he had faced heights much higher than this, most likely on one of his many encounters with various legendary Pokémon. But something about this ride was different. In a bad way.

"Hey," he spoke quietly, saying the first word of the ride.

"What?"

"Whatever you do, don't look down."

"Um, okay." Misty was slightly disappointed. She was expecting something a little more… important. "I won't look down."

"…Good."

Dawn planted her elbows on the table, placing her chin in her hands. How long could this date possibly be? If she had known this was what she was coming back to, she would have spent a little more time with Paul. Suddenly, the doors of the Pokémon Center opened to reveal two Trainers and a Pikachu.

"Thank goodness you guys are back!" Dawn exclaimed, running to Ash and Misty. "Holly and Brock are… too much."

"Yeah, we know," said the redhead smiling.

"They're not the only ones," added Ash, crossing his arms in a huff. His clothes were soaking wet and dripping everywhere. Dawn giggled.

"Ooh, looks like someone lost the bet."

"Don't rub it in."

* * *

Was it too rushed? D: I hope it was okay.

Until next time!


	13. The Pep Squad

GAH! It's done! IT'S FINALLY DONE! :DDDD

No, this isn't the last chapter. There are three more. What I meant by "done" is that I'm done writing out the story (because I got really stuck on this chapter and wrote out the rest in the mean time). The next chapter will be up in a few days because all I have to do is go over it and have it beta-ed. This is my first completed multi-chpater story! WHOO!

So yeah, chapters 14-16 will be released over the next week and a half or so. :)

Enjoy!  
-RD :)

* * *

"Come on, Misty! You look good! I promise!"

"Dawn, I-I'm not t-too sure about this," stuttered the redhead.

"Aw, come on. It's not like Ash is gonna think you look silly. I do this for him all the time!"

"Yeah, but… that's _you_."

"Please, Misty? Just seeing you out there will give Ash an extra confidence boost!" Dawn almost sang, giving Misty a huge smile.

"You think so?"

"I _know_ so."

"Alright…" Misty stepped out from behind the stands of the Gym, a huge blush on her face. Since she only had a few more days in Sinnoh, Ash decided that it was time to get his Gym Badge. He wanted Misty to see just how powerful he had become in the two years since she last saw him.

And Dawn wanted to cheer for Ash to return the favor for all the cheering he had done for her in the Grand Festival. However, she wasn't the only one in a cheerleading outfit.

"Buneary! Come out!" Dawn's brown Pokémon appeared, already dressed in an outfit to match Dawn's.

"You dress your Pokémon up too?" Misty asked with a gasp.

"Well, yeah. Look at Piplup!" Dawn picked up her penguin Pokémon and proudly showed him - and his matching outfit - off.

"Isn't Piplup a boy?"

"Yeah."

"Um, okay." Misty held up the two pink pom-poms in her hands. "So, what do I do with these?"

"Shake them, of course! Like this." Dawn stood in between Piplup and Buneary. "Go, Ash, go! You're the star of the show! Fight, Ash, fight! Teach 'em how to do it right!" she cheered along with her Pokémon, lifting her arms and shaking her pom-poms.

"Dawn, I don't think this is my kind of thing." The redhead was in a pink cheer outfit to match Dawn's and there was something wrong with that. First of all, even though Misty was a girl, she preferred colors like yellow and blue to pink. Second of all, Misty wore shorts. Not _miniskirts_! Third of all, she was certainly not the peppy cheerleader type. That might have been Dawn, but it sure wasn't Misty. "I wonder what Ash will say about this," she mumbled to herself.

On cue, Ash walked by the two girls. His eyes widened. He had seen Dawn cheer for him in matches several times. But there were only a handful of times that Misty had cheered for him - there were only a handful of times when he had seen her in a _skirt_, which Dawn wore every day. So it was no surprise when he said,

"Wow, Misty!" She blushed at the goofy smile on his face.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Ash. I'm just helping Dawn cheer for you. That's all."

"Okay! I'll do my best to win!" With that, he walked off to his place on the battlefield, with Pikachu following close behind.

Dawn and Misty made their way into the stands, where Brock and Flint, a friend of the Gym Leader's, were already sitting.

"Are you ready? Okay!" Dawn said, clapping her pom-poms together. "You can do it, Ash!" She jumped up in the air, and Misty only watched in bewilderment. She was supposed to do _this_?

"Um, yeah! Go, Ash!" she cheered, knowing she sounded - and looked - pretty stupid. He gave her a thumbs up, and she had to try not to blush again.

A robot, who was apparently acting as the referee, raised two flags. "The Gym battle between Volkner, the Gym Leader, and Ash, the challenger, will now begin. This will be a three-on-three battle. The battle is over when all of the Pokémon of either Trainer are unable to battle. In addition, only the challenger can make substitutions. Begin!"

"I've been looking forward to this battle, Ash," the Gym Leader began. "But just because you got me back into battling doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you! Go, Electivire!"

"Electivire, huh?" Ash mumbled. "Alright. Torterra, I choose you!"

"That was a good choice!" Misty said, surprised. "Torterra has the advantage!"

"Well, this _is _Ash," Dawn said with a smile.

"Yeah, the same Ash who once sent out at Caterpie to battle a Pidgeotto."

Flint laughed behind them. "It may seem like Torterra's got the advantage, but don't count Volkner out yet. He's got some tricks up his sleeve."

"Torterra, use Leaf Storm!" The Pokémon sent out hundreds of bright green leaves toward the Electivire, who held up its arms to block as much of the attack as it could. "Alright, Torterra! Do it again!" Once again, Torterra fired the attack.

"Don't think that'll work, Ash! Electivire, Fire Punch!" In a flash, the Pokémon knocked away all the incoming leaves.

"Whoa, that was fast!" exclaimed Dawn. "Go, Ash, go!"

"Hmm, Fire Punch? Torterra, use Leaf Storm again!"

"It won't work! Fire Punch!" What Volkner failed to realize until all the smoke from the fire had cleared was that Torterra was charging toward Electivire.

"Rock Climb!" Torterra's claws glowed and began digging into the ground. The field started to rise into the air below Electivire's very feet.

"Get ready," Volkner said. "Ice Punch!" Before Ash could tell his Pokémon to dodge, Electivire had fired an icy fist toward it. Torterra fell down the rock slope, unconscious.

"Torterra is unable to battle. Electivire is the winner!" announced the robot.

"Wow," Misty mumbled as Dawn and her Pokémon broke out in cheers for Ash. "Even with a type advantage, he still lost…"

"That's Volkner at his finest," Flint said, leaning back in his seat. "He really knows how to turn type advantages around."

"Volkner made good use of that Ice Punch," commented Brock. "It was really smart of him to teach that to Electivire."

"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash shouted, his most loyal Pokémon taking center stage.

"Pikachu? Hmm…" Volkner placed a hand to his chin before choosing his attack. "Electivire, Fire Punch!"

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fired off his most familiar move, but it didn't seem to affect his opponent at all. In fact, Electivire only started running faster and delivered the Fire Punch.

"What was that?" Dawn exclaimed. "It didn't affect Electivire one bit!" Misty thought for a second.

"Oh, I know! That's Motor Drive!"

"What's Motor Drive?"

"It's an ability of some Electric type Pokémon. When they get hit with an Electric type attack, it doesn't hurt them. It just makes their speed increase! Look how much faster Electivire was after Pikachu's Thunderbolt hit!"

"Oh! That's not good!"

"Look out, Ash!" Misty yelled. "Don't use Electric type moves! It'll only make Electivire faster!"

"What?" Ash said in shock. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Even with Electivire's enhanced speed, it was still no match for Pikachu.

"Ice Punch!"

"Dodge it!" Pikachu soon found himself dodging rapid-fire Ice Punches, barely being able to miss them. But one of them he couldn't dodge, and he was sent flying into one of the Gym walls. "Pikachu!"

"Electivire, close in for a final Fire Punch!" The battle seemed to be over for Pikachu - until the Pokémon flashed his eyes open.

"Iron Tail!" As Electivire closed in, Pikachu dealt the Steel Type move to its head. Electivire stumbled backwards before falling down, not to get up.

"Electivire is unable to battle. The winner is Pikachu!"

"Good battling, Ash," Volkner said with a smirk.

"I can say the same to you."

"But you've only defeated one of my three Pokémon. Are you ready?"

Ash slowly grinned. "Bring it on!"

"Alright, you asked for it! Go, Jolteon!" Volkner's next Pokémon was the Electric evolution of Eevee.

"Pikachu!" Ash called, planning to strike first. "Quick Attack!" Pikachu's speed was once again unrivaled as it attacked Jolteon. "Nice, now follow up with Thunderbolt!" Unlike Electivire, Jolteon didn't have Motor Drive, so the attack hit. However, it didn't do much. But what did happen was Jolteon fell down, electricity crackling around it.

"Whoa, that's Pikachu's static!" Brock said. "Jolteon's paralyzed!"

"Yeah!" cheered Dawn. "Electivire wasn't the only one with an ability!"

Volkner frowned, but wasn't ready to give up just yet. "Jolteon, use Shadow Ball!" Pikachu was blasted back, but not deterred.

"Iron Tail!" Pikachu's Tail slammed down onto Jolteon.

"Shadow Ball!"

"Blast it back with Iron Tail!" Just as instructed, Pikachu deflected the attack and sent it back to Jolteon, who fell on the floor, knocked out.

"Jolteon is unable to battle. Pikachu is the winner!" the robot said, causing Misty to jump up.

"Whoo! Go, Pikachu!"

Ash frowned. "You're supposed to be cheering for me!" Misty placed her pom-poms on her hips.

"Why would I do that when Pikachu's doing all the work?"

"What did you-"

"Go, Ash!" Dawn yelled, trying to keep a fight from happening. Ash shook his head and turned back to the battle.

"Ash is actually doing a good job," Misty said. "I didn't think he'd be doing this well."

"He is doing a good job," Brock agreed. "I'm looking forward to the rest of this battle."

"Volkner's still got one Pokémon left," Flint reminded them. "The _real _battle's about to begin."

"Ash, you're doing really well," Volkner complimented as he got out his last Poké ball. "But now I'm going to have to get serious. Go, Luxray!"

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

"Luxray, Thunder Fang!" In the middle of his attack, Pikachu was grabbed by Luxray's teeth and zapped. When Pikachu fell out of Luxray's mouth, he was knocked out.

"Hm… Infernape, I choose you!" Ash sent out his last Pokémon with confidence.

"Ooh, yay! Infernape's really strong!" Dawn put her pom-poms together getting ready for another cheer.

"Luxray, use Shock Wave!" Blue light came from the Pokémon, and Infernape almost fell over from the attack.

"Wait, isn't Shock Wave supposed to be a weak attack?" asked Misty.

"That looks like it's on a whole other level…" Brock mumbled.

"Infernape, are you alright?"

"Infer!" it replied.

"Okay, then let's use Flamethrower!" Infernape blasted a column of red hot flames at Luxray.

"Use Thunder Fang!" Luxray dug its teeth into Infernape, causing the Pokémon an insurmountable amount of pain. "Again! Once again, Luxray dug its teeth into Infernape, the force of the attack blasting the Pokémon back to the ground.

"Infernape, Mach Punch!"

"Shock Wave!" Blue light flashed again, and the battle looked to be almost over. "Let's wrap this up," Volkner said with a smirk.

"Oh no…" Misty said, placing her hands over her mouth. "…ASH! You just aren't gonna lose, are you?"

"Nope!" he yelled back with, oddly, a smile on his face. When Misty's eyes traveled to Infernape, she was surprised to see the fire Pokémon glowing bright red. It blasted fire to the ceiling, causing some of the tiles to fall to the floor in fragments and the lights in the Gym to go out.

"What in the world is going on?"

"Blaze," Flint said. "That's good timing."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that…" Brock said.

"Why not?"

"When Infernape goes into Blaze," Dawn began. "It completely stops listening to Ash!"

"That's horrible!" exclaimed Misty. "I hope they'll be alright."

On the field, Infernape was slowly taking steps toward Ash, who looked rather confident despite the fact that his Pokémon had just blasted fire all over the Gym.

Once Infernape was close to Ash, it cracked a smile, which Ash returned.

"You ready to go?" Infernape nodded, and Ash's grin only grew. "Alright! Use Flamethrower!"

Misty was amazed by the sheer power of Ash's Pokémon as it fired a humongous Flamethrower attack at Luxray. The once winning Pokémon was then at an obvious disadvantage. And soon, Luxray collapsed, ending the battle.

"Luxray is unable to battle," began the robot. "The winner of the match is the challenger, Ash Ketchum!"

"WHOO!" The stands erupted with cheers and Ash's cheering squad, along with Brock and Flint, went out onto the battlefield to congratulate him.

"So, Misty," Ash said as she ran up to him. "Like what you saw?"

She smirked. "You've gotten better since I last saw you." Ash beamed. "But, you still need to work on your defense. That was lacking."

"Thanks a lot…" he mumbled angrily.

"Well, Ash, you fought a great battle. That's why I'm glad to present you with the Beacon Badge." Volkner held up a small piece of metal and handed it to Ash.

"Alright!" he yelled happily. "I got the Beacon Badge!"

* * *

Yeah, I changed the battle some from the original. But I don't like Ash winning everything because of Blaze. So I gave Pikachu more focus instead, cause I like him more. xD

Hope you liked it! See you later in the week! :D


	14. Remember

New chapter! I've been busy with school, so it took me a while to edit this one. It's kind of short, but I decided to turn this one into two chapters. It's better that way. :)

I haven't got a lot of reviews, but I KNOW people are reading this! My traffic stats say so! So please people, if you like it, tell me what you think! It'd be very much appreciated. :D

Enjoy!  
-RD :)

* * *

The Gym doors flew open and out walked Ash Ketchum with a little more pep in his step.

"I have to say, Ash," Misty said, catching up to him. "That was quite an impressive win. I meant it when I said you've improved." He turned around and flashed her a humongous smile.

"So, what do you guys want to do now?" Dawn asked. The group stopped, and Ash put a thoughtful hand to his chin.

"I think I have an idea." And with that, he tore off, trying not to trip on the moving sidewalks. The group darted off after him, never ceasing to marvel at his enthusiasm.

"Ash, can you tell me why we're standing on the beach?"

"Hold on, Dawn. It'll make sense in a minute." The blue-haired girl rolled her eyes and looked up at the sky. The sun was setting, causing the entire sky to be orange. The water looked the same, and it was a positively beautiful scene. She may not have understood Ash's intentions, but it was very nice to be there, she thought as she ran a hand through her hair and watched Piplup and Pikachu run out to the water and begin playing with each other.

Ash ran over to the oldest member of their party and grabbed the bag on his back.

"Ack- Ash, what're you doing?" Brock cried out, shaking off his bag. It fell to the ground, and Ash proceeded to rummage through it.

"Alright, let's see…" Eventually, the boy yanked from the bag what he had been looking for. "Got it!" He ran forward, taking hold of Misty's hand in the process, despite her protests against that action, and stopped when he was about five feet from the ocean. "Come on, take your shoes off!" Ash said excitedly, kicking off his own. The redhead sighed and complied, slipping her sneakers and socks off.

"Ash, what're you up to?" she asked, arching an eyebrow, giggling a little.

"You'll see." He took the item he had gone through Brock's bag for, a fishing pole, in one hand, and with the other, he reached into his right pocket.

"Oh, my-" Misty clasped her hands over her mouth. In Ash's palm sat the little trinket she had gifted to him over two years ago.

"I told you I still have it," he said with a smirk. "It's really important to me." He clutched the item tightly - Misty's Special Lure. The lure's namesake beamed, happy to see the article after such a long time.

Brock and Dawn had run down the beach by that time. "Ash, will you please tell us what we're here for now?" Dawn pleaded, hands on her knees and panting.

"Well, we've been in Sunnyshore for a while now. I got the Beacon Badge, but there's still something very important we need to do.

"What?" Brock asked.

"It's a surprise!" Ash yelled back. He fastened the lure onto the end of the rod and cast it into the water. "You guys," he began, looking at Dawn and Brock. "You have fishing poles, right? Take 'em out!" The inwardly two rolled their eyes at Ash's bossiness, but got out fishing poles nonetheless.

"I have one too." Misty slipped her yellow and blue backpack off her shoulders and opened it up, taking out a pole and her own copy of Misty's Special Lure.

The three cast their lines to join Ash's in the water and waited. They had no idea why they were fishing, but Ash was rather excited at the time and they all figured it was just best to play along. It couldn't hurt.

After no bites at all, Brock decided it would be best to get some dinner going, and Dawn was spending time playing with Pikachu and Piplup. Misty and Ash were the only ones still going at it, and that was mainly because the redhead didn't want to leave him alone after he had been trying to rally everyone to do… whatever it was they were supposed to be doing.

Misty yawned, trying very hard to focus on the task at hand. Just when she was about to tell Ash that they should stop and go help Brock with dinner, he yelled out, "Got one!"

Out of the water came a beautiful Pokémon, one Misty had never seen before. It was dark blue, with light blue stripes, and had bright pink eyes. The Pokémon seemed to be sparkling as it was thrust out of the water by Ash's fishing pole.

"It's beautiful…" she muttered in awe.

"Alright, Pikachu! Get it with a Thunderbolt!" The electric mouse ran away from Piplup and Dawn to zap the Pokémon mid-air. It fell back into the water, and after resurfacing a few seconds later, fired a Bubble Beam attack in Pikachu's direction. He dodged and sent another Thunderbolt at it.

"That's good," Ash said, smiling. "Go, Poké ball!" He tossed the red and white item with incredible accuracy. The ball flashed once, twice, and Ash had to run out into the water to catch it before it sank too deep.

"Nice catch, Ash!" said Misty as the boy waded out of the water, pants soaked up to his knees.

"Here you go." He pressed the wet Poké ball into her hand. The redhead looked up at him in confusion.

"What's this?"

"It's a Lumineon. For you, Misty."

"But why?" she gasped.

"Because," Ash began, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. "You said you came to Sinnoh to catch a Water-type Pokémon and you hadn't done it yet. So I thought that I could catch one for you."

Ash felt his cheeks heat up as Misty enveloped him in a warm hug.

"Ash! Thanks so much! This is a great gift. Really! I can't believe you remembered that I needed one! I'd almost forgotten myself!"

"I'm glad you like it!" he said as he placed his hands around her back.

"Aww, aren't they the cutest, Piplup?" Dawn asked her Pokémon.

"Pip, pip lup," he shrugged.


	15. Almost

Another short chapter. But the last one is a good bit longer! So look forward to it!

I can't believe this is almost done. :'D

Enjoy~  
-RD :)

* * *

"Whoa!" yelled Misty, shooting up from her bed. "Brock, what day is it?"

"Saturday," the Pokémon Breeder answered, rubbing his eyes, having been awakened by her outburst.

"No, I mean what day of the month is it?"

"Umm, the fourteenth, I think."

"Oh, no."

"What is it?" Ash asked sleepily. "Is it breakfast time already?"

"No," Misty replied in a solemn voice. "My ship for the Kanto Region leaves today."

Gasps were heard throughout the room, and the expression on Ash's face noticeably darkened.

"I thought you had at least one more day here!" Dawn exclaimed, almost knocking over Piplup in her surprise.

"I guess I let the time get away from me…"

A few moments of silence passed before Brock declared, "Well, since it's your last day, we need to make it really memorable."

"We'll go ride some rides at the festival! And eat funnel cake!" added Dawn cheerfully. The redhead slowly smiled at her friends.

"Sounds like a plan, guys." Misty stood up and went into the bathroom.

Ash stared at the closed door. Was he really going to have to say goodbye to Misty _again_? She had been away from him for so long that it felt like she had only been with him for a day.

"Pika?" The little electric mouse waved a paw in front of his dazed Trainer's face. But Ash didn't seem to notice. His thoughts were elsewhere.

With Misty.

After a long few hours of fun and games, the group of four finally made their way back to the Pokémon Center. Brock and Misty were talking about Gym Leader-type affairs, Dawn was having a conversation of sorts with Piplup, and Ash walked behind them all, hands shoved in his pockets. He didn't want to go back to the Center.

They were only going back so Misty could pack to leave.

He figured that after her ferry left, he, Brock, and Dawn would leave soon after. Without Misty, there was really no point in staying in Sunnyshore, especially since the Sinnoh League was being held in less than a month. Ash thought it would be best to head out the next day and get to Lily of the Valley Island to register and train for the League.

Ash had been so busy planning that he hadn't realized that they had already arrived back at the Pokémon Center. He sighed and followed his friends through the double doors, looking at the floor.

But if he hadn't been looking at the floor, he would have realized that someone was giving him worried glances.

Misty ran around the room, checking everywhere to make sure she hadn't left anything that she would need. Ash smiled slightly - she used to do that when they were traveling back in Kanto and Johto. She'd run around the room and do the last-minute checks since either Brock or Ash always had forgotten something.

Dawn and Brock had gone downstairs to do something - Ash couldn't really remember what - so he decided to stay behind to keep Misty company while the others were gone. Pikachu was curled up, taking a nap on the bunk where Ash was sitting. The room was quiet in a peaceful way, and Ash found himself feeling rather tired even though it wasn't even dinner time yet.

"Misty," he began slowly, shattering the silence.

"Yeah, Ash?"

"Um, I don't know how to say this…"

"What?" she asked as she sat down on the bed next to him.

"I'm gonna miss you, Mist."

"I'm going to miss you too, Ash," replied Misty with a sad smile. "I'm glad we got to see each other, though. It's been really-"

"No, you don't get it," he said quickly and irritably, cutting her off. "I… I think about you every day. We haven't seen each other in almost two years. And I don't want this - don't want _us_ - to end. It's not fair that you have to pack up and leave when you just got here. I'm just mad and-"

"Ash."

"You shouldn't have to go back to Kanto already-"

"Ash!" Misty looked rather upset and somewhat angry when he finally turned to face her. "It's not like we're never gonna see each other again. You know that, right?"

"I know, but still…" He placed his chin on his hands and let out a long sigh.

"And Ash," she started with a small grin. "I think about you every day, too." Misty moved her hand on top of his and gave it a squeeze.

They stared into each other's eyes, and Ash was amazed at how hers were the color of the ocean - a perfect blue-green. And soon, he found himself looking closer, and closer, until he closed his own eyes and leaned towards her.

Misty noticed that his face was moving towards hers, and her cheeks immediately went red. But instead of questioning him like she normally would have done, she simply decided to go along with it and leaned in too.

And then the door flew open.

"Misty? Your boat leaves in like half an hour, so we'd better go," Dawn said, looking at the time on her Pokétch. Ash and Misty's eyes flashed open, and, noticing the close proximity their faces were in, jumped apart quickly.

"Um, yeah! I'm ready." Misty hurriedly picked up her bag and left the room, leaving a very confused Ash sitting on the bed.

Dawn arched an eyebrow. "Did I interrupt something?" When Ash only looked at her with angrily perplexed eyes, she said, "Right. Sorry 'bout that," and closed the door.


	16. Plead the Fourth

AH! The very last chapter! I can't believe it!

Well, get on with your reading.

GO!  
-RD :)

* * *

Dawn followed behind the rest of the group as they made their way to the pier. The sun was beginning to set behind the orange-hued ocean's waves.

It was such a beautiful sight for such a sad occasion.

The others had gone off to the ferry service's main building to figure out which boat Misty had to take, but Dawn had decided to stay outside and watch the sunset.

"Hey." She was pulled from her thoughts, but when she saw the culprit, she only smiled.

"Paul! Hi!"

"So, are you guys leaving the city?"

"No, Misty is."

"Oh." Something about his voice sounded the tiniest bit hurt.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yeah, tonight." That was it! Did that mean he wanted her to leave so he could see her? Dawn tried to not turn entirely red, but the fact that her Piplup was making noises of jubilation at her embarrassment was not helping in the slightest.

"I think that after Misty leaves for Kanto, we're going to Lily of the Valley Island." She played with her fingers before casting Paul a hopeful look. "I'll see you there, right?"

"Plan on it," he said, digging his hands into his pockets. "I've had all eight badges for a while now. I'm more than ready. I've been just spending time here to train… Something kept me here longer than I expected."

"You're always training, aren't you?" Dawn sighed, part of her wondering if she was what had kept him in Sunnyshore City. "…I guess that only means you'll do great in the competition."

He smirked. "Of course."

"You're a mess!" she laughed. "Ash has been training too. He's improved a lot since your last battle."

"I wouldn't expect anything else of him."

Just then, a foghorn sounded. Paul glanced toward the docks and saw that it was indeed his ship that was leaving.

"I've gotta go. I'll see you around."

"…Paul?" He looked back at her to see that Dawn had placed Piplup on the ground and taken a few steps toward him.

And then, she stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"S-see you…" she stuttered, cheeks aflame.

He then turned his back to her in order to hide his own reddening cheeks.

"See you."

"Last call for Kanto!" called out a man with a megaphone. "Last call for the Kanto region!" Ash, Misty, Brock and Dawn were the last ones on the dock by the ferry headed to the other region.

"Bye, Dawn," Misty said as she gave the girl a hug. "It was really nice meeting you! If you're ever in Kanto, you should come by."

"Okay, Misty. I'm really glad I got to know you!"

Next, the redhead went to Brock. "Brock, I'm gonna miss you! It's been great seeing you again."

"Bye, Misty. Have a safe trip." Suddenly, a yellow Pokémon jumped into Misty's arms and she gave him a squeeze.

"Pikachu! I'm going to miss you _so much_!"

"Pikachupi! Pika chu pika!" She giggled as she set Pikachu down on the ground and turned to the last person on the dock.

"Misty…" Ash began slowly, unsure of what to say.

She walked over and gave him a hug. "Ash, you're an amazing friend. Thanks for everything."

"Alright," he sighed, trying his best to smile. "I hope-"

"Miss," a man said, interrupting the two's moment. "If you are going to get on this ship, I suggest you do so now."

"Oh, yes," Misty said, regaining her composure and letting go of Ash. "Well, I guess this is it, guys! I hope I'll see you soon." She turned around and began walking up the gangplank onto the boat. One of the crew members gave the signal to set sail, and the gangplank began to rise.

Ash stared at the boat - the boat that was taking away his best friend. His breaths became heavier with every passing second; why did she have to go when she had just come back?

Their time had felt so short… so short… too short…

Ash wasn't sure what he was thinking - or if he was thinking, for that matter - but he listened to his gut for one second and ran.

He ran as fast as he could and jumped onto the closing gangplank, pulling it down with his own weight, which allowed him to barely slip onto the ship. Ash pushed past the crew member, ignoring his cries of protest.

"ASH!" Brock and Dawn yelled simultaneously. Was he insane? He had just _jumped _onto a _ship_! Their cries fell on deaf ears, however, because Ash was already on the boat, dodging the crowds of travelers until he found who he was looking for.

"Misty!" he called out. The redhead whipped around, gasping loudly.

"Ash? What the heck are you doin-" She didn't get to finish however, because he had practically tackled her.

"Come on, Misty," Ash said, taking hold of her hand. "We're leaving. Now."

"What are you talking about? I have to get back to Kanto!"

"No, you don't!" he yelled angrily.

"Yes, I do!" she screamed back. "I've got to get back to my sisters and the Gym!"

"How come everything is about your sisters?" After shouting that, Ash turned away from her.

"What?"

"Everything is about them and the Gym. They… they were the reason you left in the first place." Misty gave him a confused yet sad look.

"That's what you're upset about? My sisters?"

"They have you do all the work when what you want to do is travel. It's not fair to you… or to me."

"Ash…"

"Misty, I don't know what I'm feeling, but when I see you, my stomach knots up and I feel funny and I just wanna-"

He was cut off when she hugged him.

"Ash, you idiot," Misty mumbled into his shirt. "If you wanted me to stay that badly, you should've just told me so."

"I'm sorry… But we're still getting off of here." Ash broke away from her, taking her hand again, and proceeded to then pull Misty toward the ship's railing. "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what? Wait, Ash, you're not going to do what I think you're doing, right?"

"Let's go!" Ash and Misty jumped over the edge and plunged down into the water. Misty, being the stronger swimmer, resurfaced quickly and began looking for Ash.

"Someone jumped overboard!" a passenger on the ship yelled. Crew members rushed to throw a life preserver over the edge of the boat, but the redhead ignored it.

"Go, Staryu!" Ash resurfaced, gasping for air. "Ash, hang onto this." Her Pokémon swam over to him and he grabbed hold of it.

"Ash! Misty! Over here!" Brock yelled, waving his arms. He and Dawn had run to a different dock that went out farther into the ocean and was the closest one to the duo in the water at that time.

Brock reached out a hand, which Misty took. He then pulled her onto the dock, and Dawn helped Ash get onto the wooden structure as well.

"Ash…" Misty panted, down on all fours. "I can't believe you did that."

"What?" he asked as he rolled over onto his stomach.

"Went onto that ship and got me! Do you know how dangerous that was? You could've gotten hurt!"

"It's nice to see you care about me." He smirked, causing her to blush. "Besides, I couldn't have let you leave."

"Why not?"

"Because…" he began slowly, standing to his feet. "You've left me three times, Misty. I don't think I can take a fourth."

"Why not?" she almost whispered. Brock and Dawn exchanged confused but happy looks between each other. Ash only mumbled out a few words. "What was that?" He blushed, turned his head to the side and mumbled again. "Ash, I can't hear you. Speak up!"

"I said I love you! Gosh, Misty! Are you deaf?"

"Deaf? How about blind!" Misty fumed as she stood to her feet. She lowered the volume of her voice to a barely audible level and mumbled, "Because you must be that if you haven't noticed that I'm in love with you, too…"

"I am NOT blind- wait- WHAT?" Ash staggered back so much he almost fell off the dock. "Did you just say you're in love with me, too?" Dawn raised her hands to her mouth in an attempt to keep from squealing. She had been waiting for this moment since she met Misty. And Brock had been waiting for it since their travels through Kanto.

Misty blushed and looked away. "I… maybe."

"No!" Ash said with a wide grin on his face. "You said it! I heard you!"

"You must be deaf! Like me," she retorted, sticking her tongue out.

"Nope! I heard you!"

"No, you didn't!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am NOT!"

"Are TOO!"

"I am not deaf!" Ash yelled, determined to win this argument with the girl he had just confessed his feelings to. "I know I heard you and you're gonna tell me!" He ran up behind her and placed his hands on her stomach. "Come on, Mist! Say it!"

"No!" she wailed, trying to squirm out of his grip. Since their travels, he had certainly gotten much stronger.

"I'm not letting go until you say it!" Misty would have been okay with that condition if he had not done what he had done next: tickle her.

"Ash, let go before I have to hurt you!"

"Never!"

"Should we do something?" Dawn whispered.

"I don't think so," Brock whispered back. "When they get like this, it's best to let them just fight it out."

"But they love each other! This isn't how confessions should go!"

"…Honestly, I can't imagine them confessing _without_ fighting."

"Pika pikachu…"

"Ash, let me go NOW! I said nothing!"

"Why do you keep saying that?" he asked, looking down at the redhead in his arms.

"What?"

"I heard you. I know it. Are you saying that you don't love me back?"

"Um, n-no…" Misty stuttered, glad he was behind her and he couldn't see how red her face was. "I'm just saying I haven't responded yet."

"Well, do you have an answer?" By this time, the tickling had stopped, but Ash still had his arms around Misty like he was hugging her from behind.

"I…"

The next thing Ash knew, his head really hurt.

"Ow! What'd you do that for!" he yelled, placing a hand on the place where he knew a lump would be in the morning.

"You idiot."

"What did you say?" To Ash's surprise, she placed a soft hand on his cheek.

"I said you idiot," Misty mumbled. "Of course I love you."

"You know," he began. "You're a bigger idiot."

"Why?" she asked angrily.

"Because you were afraid to tell me," was his only response before pressing his lips to hers.

* * *

So yeah, that's the end.

_Or is it?_


	17. It Must Be the Sunshine

Yep, I lied! There's an epilouge that I never told anyone about. xDDDDD

Enjoy the REAL last chapter!  
-RD :)

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"Ash, you've been asking that same question for the last hour. We're not there yet!" Brock snapped, a bit fed up with the boy's impatience.

"Sorry, Brock! I just really can't wait!"

"Neither can I," Dawn added, placing an elbow on the ship's railing and staring out at the sea.

"I can't wait to see all the battling! I'm sure there will be some great Water Pokémon in the competition!"

"And I can't wait to win!" The group all laughed at the bold statement.

"Who knows, Ash? Paul's competing, and he told me that he's been training an awful lot."

"Figures _you _would say that," he scoffed. "Dawn, you just think that because he's Paul."

"Who likes you!" Holly tagged on, placing a playful hand on Dawn's shoulder.

The blue-haired girl turned red. "N-no! That's not it! He's just a really good Trainer! And Ash has never beaten him before!"

"HEY!"

They all got another good laugh before Misty placed a hand on Ash's cheek and turned him to face her. "Don't worry. You'll always be a winner to me," she said, earning an "aww" from all their friends.

"Ash and Misty, sitting in a tree~" sang Dawn. The two in the song blushed and moved away from each other. "It's okay! You already confessed your feelings to each other."

"DAWN!" they yelled at the same time as their faces got even redder.

"Hey!" said Holly, interrupting Ash and Misty's utter embarrassment. "I think I can see it from here! Look, everybody!" Ash ran back to the railing and leaned over as far as he could without falling off the ship.

"There it is! Lily of the Valley Island!"

The minute the ship had docked was the same minute Ash noticed that Dawn had gone missing.

"Hey, do you know where Dawn is?" he whispered to Misty. "Wait… do you think…?" She only smirked up at him.

"Wanna bet?"

She raced along the pathways of the unfamiliar place, having only taken directions from one of the men she had seen when getting off the ship. She listened to the pitter-patter sound her shoes made on the pavement along with Piplup's squeaks and noises of anger at having to run to keep up with her. But Dawn didn't mind. She could only think of one thing.

_Paul._

Thinking of him only inspired her to run faster - much to Piplup's dismay - into the swarm of people around the island's main attraction: the stadium where the Sinnoh League would be held. She stood on her toes in the midst of such a crowd in order to find who she was looking for, hoping to spot his purple hair.

"Do you see him, Piplup?" Dawn asked her penguin Pokémon who was aiding her search as much as he could.

"Pip pip!"

"Um… there! I think! Let's go!" She took off into the crowd again, trying not to run over people in her pursuit. "Paul! Paul!"

"What do you keep yelling for? I'm right here." Dawn turned around and grinned.

"Hey!" she said, walking over and slipping her small hand into his.

And to her surprise, he didn't pull away.

"Do you think we should go find her?"

"Why should we?"

"Well, Brock and Holly don't seem very concerned," Ash said, looking over at the couple who had two straws in a milkshake and seemed rather happy.

"She'll be fine. She can handle herself! You're acting like you're her big brother or something. It's weird."

"Well, I'm sorry for being a good friend."

"I forgive you." Misty flashed him a smile and he couldn't help but smile back. "…It's funny, you know," she said quietly as she dragged her foot around in the grass. "It's like we all realized our true feelings in Sunnyshore City…"

"Yeah…" Ash replied with a soft smile on his face. "There was just something about it that seemed to bring it out from all of us. I wonder what it was."

After a couple minutes of thinking, Misty blurted out, "It must be the sunshine!"

"What?"

"The sunshine!" she repeated. "It's warm and nice… and romantic?" Misty continued, tilting her head to the side and trying to make sense of what she had just said.

Ash only chuckled at the silly comment his may-as-well-be girlfriend had made and placed his arm around her. But as he stared out into the vast sea spread before them with the sun shining brightly on it all, he began to think that she might be right.

"Hmm… It must be the sunshine…"

_It must be the sunshine._

END

* * *

Awww, that's really it! Well, that was fun. Thank you all for reading my first ever completed multi-chapter story! The first one that's not a one-shot collection, anyway.

_Special thanks to:  
_My lovely beta-reader  
All my readers  
All my reviewers  
All the people who added me or this story to thier favorites or alerts list

AND YOU!

Well, I guess you're a reader, but you're special. :)

RD's out!  
PEACE!


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